


UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY [UNIVERSITY AU]

by RedBlackStripe, WarioGirl



Series: Resident Evil-Alternative Universes [AUs] [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-03-13 16:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 78,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18945022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBlackStripe/pseuds/RedBlackStripe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarioGirl/pseuds/WarioGirl
Summary: Two humans gets accidentally enrolled to the infamous, and highly secretive, Umbrella University, a place for zombies, monsters and B.O.Ws to study...if that's what they do. They're gonna need more than green herbs to surpass this journey!





	1. PRELUDE

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's a funny tale~
> 
> I created a very silly Alternate-Universe in the Resident Evil universe, and I have the fantastic Redblackstripe encourage me. I decided to upload this here, and probably will on other sites. 
> 
> This whole concept was, yet again, based on fun. Something silly to amuse us, and we find it very entertaining to mess around. Not much logic was put behind this, but if we were to do so, it wouldn't be as fun or as carefree as it comes across. We just wanted to do some daft things with the husbands.
> 
> So I give you Umbrella University! A place where all of Umbrella's experiments, both successful and failed, come to this building to learn to...uh, to learn how to zombie? Shaddap! Just go with the flow.
> 
> This is probably gonna involve a few good friends of ours along the way, so sit back and just enjoy this.
> 
> I do intend in creating illustrations for this, but not too sure how to go about it yet. Feel free to give suggestions. <3
> 
> I would like to thank my gorgeous co-writer, Redblackstripe, for her brilliant input to this concept, and for putting up with me. 
> 
> Concept (C) Wario-girl: & Redblackstripe:  
> Sallie Knight (C) Wario-Girl https://www.deviantart.com/wario-girl  
> Tish Stripes (C) Redblackstripe https://www.deviantart.com/redblackstripe

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

 

##  ** Prelude: **

The Umbrella University was located up a nerve-jangling steep hill in the middle of nowhere. The school bus that brought fresh students was little more than a truck with metal restraints in the back and no windows, a dreary version of a prison transport machine.

Sallie Knight and Theresa Stripes, fondly known as Tish, shouldn’t even be there, but a clerical error meant their application were accepted and it was legally too late for them to be turned away.

It was a dark dreary day when the young women arrived, both swathed in their coats against the howling winds and splattering rain that assaulted the metal sides of the bus.

“Even for a university for abominations this is grim,” Tish commented, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders.

Sallie was leaning against the window, her black beanie pulled over her eyes, her leather coat tightly clasped together, collar turned up with her arms folded. She had been awfully silent throughout the whole journey, no doubt mulling grumpily about her application being incorrect. At least she wasn’t on this alone.

When Tish heard no reply, she added thoughtfully: “You think they’ll actually let us study here?” She asked her stalwart companion as she faced her.

For a time, Sallie said nothing.

Then a snore.

Tish giggled softly, noticing her friend has drifted off. She considered the possible repercussions of awakening her, and so decided to wait until the bus stopped before attempting it.

The bus climbed ever higher and finally grumbled to a stop.

“Last stop!” Barked the driver, slamming his fist on the side of the bus. This didn’t appear to wake Sallie, and so Tish budged her.

“Hey, Sallie? We’re here!” Tish drew out the syllable in a sing-song manner, referencing a well-known horror film. Tish was a little more surprise that Sallie didn’t wake up, completely unconscious.  She must have  _really_  slept bad last night. And the night before that…and the night before that…

Sallie didn’t move for a time, and then her face began to slide down the window, her lips and cheek running against the pane of glass before almost falling and snorting loudly, waking herself up instantly.

“Shit, what?!” She cried out, looking around quickly, blinking a few times before turning to Tish. “Wait…” Then she realised. “What, we’re here?”

Tish laughed and nudged her again to get up, in which Sallie complied.

“Yes, we’re here, and I need to get off this so-called bus. My arse is numb!”

Tish began to head to the back of the vehicle where the driver, a man dressed all in black-army fatigues with a gasmask in place, had opened the doors for them to exit.

Tish Stripes hopped down, landing in the slick mud outside. Short, black hair, that was once cropped beautifully was now messed by the howling winds. She was adorned in her favourite pair of jeans and a black shirt, shielded from the winds with her thick red and black coat.

To their left, the Umbrella University loomed upon its hill, already soaked in the rain. “Oooh, looks like the perfect place to meet a serial killer, eh Sallie?” Tish quipped, glancing back towards the bus.

Sallie Knight’s dark blue eyes scanned the scenery before her, her brunette hair wildly swaying in the winds with the hem of her long trench-coat. Her army boots were already stained with the sodden mud, her jeans tucked inside by habit. A thick belt divided her firm black leotard beneath the trench-coat. Stripped from all her weaponry, she felt naked without the tight belts around her thighs and arms, the familiar weights of her weapons leaving her empty.

Sallie stood beside Tish silently, her eyes taking in everything. This was nothing compared to the brightly painted façade Sallie had imagined herself to be in at this point. Rain lashed down from the darken skies, and Tish’s comment didn’t help the situation much. Still, she knew Tish was only trying to make her laugh, and so she forced a small smirk.

“It looks lethal if you ask me,” Sallie replied, trying to imply it as a joke, but seemed too tired to make the effort. “You sure you wanna do this?”

“Too late to turn back now,” Tish shrugged, but it was clear she was nervous. She hefted up her bag over her shoulder. “You never know, the food might be amazing,”

Sallie rolled her eyes with a small smirk, taking her backpack and followed Tish.

“You think food is gonna save us this time?”

Tish grinned, but it didn’t last long as they approached the open gates.

As soon as they stepped through the gates, they became aware of large looming shapes moving through the misty rain. Tish gasped. “Those guys are  _huge!_ ” She cried out, pointing through the murk towards a group of hulking shades in the distance. On instinct, Sallie stood close to Tish, protecting her from the overbearing threats around them. “I might be beginning to regret this,”

“Just keep your eyes ahead. Don’t give them direct eye-contact,” Sallie advised firmly, feeling Tish shivering against her. Despite her own warning, she was unable to remove her gaze from the looming figures, figuring out that- “They’re not human…”

“They’re  _huge!_ ” She heard Tish squeaked, trying to match with Sallie’s firm march. Unmatched with Sallie’s march were the rhythmic sound of something dangerous; an intense thumping sound, and it was approaching them. Tish gritted her teeth in fear. “They’re coming this way!” She hissed. Sallie’s hand gripped onto Tish’s arm firmly, silently reminding her she was here.

Through the gloom emerged a group of enormous humanoid creatures. All of them were bald with pale ashen skin. Huge and muscular, they walked with great power and in only a few steps they had reached the girls. It was a rather overbearing sight. Thick, heavy trench-coats fell to their ankles, revealing monstrous boots made of steel and reinforced material. Each of them had a unique set of numbers printed on the upper arm of their coats. Batch-Numbers. Sallie winced. They were like soldiers… What was most disturbing was the number of metallic features on their bodies, the amount of steel  _loops_ that ran down the back of their bodies from their outfits. It was as if they were originally  _restrained_ …

One of them moved with greater purpose than the others, and he stepped forward ahead of them.

“Oh shit, I thought they were kidding when they said they let humans in here!” Came his booming voice. His eyes settled on Sallie. “But at least they’re cute ones,” He practically purred these words at her, and it was those very words that made Sallie physically cringe. What a gross bastard!

Bravely, she turned and shot a hot glare at the chief beast before them. A Tyrant. There was a vast variety of Tyrants that existed, but these were monstrous compared to the others, showing familiar features from the Tyrant T-103 series. But these were almost far superior. Elite Tyrants, actually. Made for mass  _wars_ , not for mere fights.

“It’s a shame we have to look at you,” Sallie spat acidly, before realizing who she was talking to.

The immense Tyrant was surprised by her response, but it interested him greatly.

“Aww, am I too much for you, sweetheart?” he chuckled and his lackeys all laughed too, backing up their leader.

Tish chewed her lip nervously, unsure if she should even try to intervene. She knew Sallie could handle herself, but these guys were monsters.  _Bio-Organic Weapons!_

“Nah,” Sallie replied sharply, already feeling her temper firing up. “You’re not enough for me,” She eyed him up and down, admiring the leathery outfit, chains, hooks and metallic features. It was an impressive outfit, stunning. But she didn’t like the bastard wearing it. “Your outfit seems to be compensating something,”

The Tyrant smirked.

“Oh, what?” He taunted. “ _This_  isn’t enough for you?” He grabbed at his sizeable crotch, waggling it lewdly around.

Tish spun around, horrified and furious at his behaviour. She couldn’t believe how horrible he was being!

Across the forecourt came another one of those lumbering beasts, but this one appeared to be smaller, different in appearance. A black overcoat only accented his size, his proportion bulk and strong. His complexion was of lifeless grey, a shadow masked his features from her, created by his matching fedora. Almost like the leather-clad dick-bags in their midst, but this one seemed…kinder perhaps?

When he spotted the other looming figures, however, he froze on the spot, as if terrified. This only worried Tish more; if another B.O.W was terrified of these Tyrants…

Sallie was too focused on the fourteen-feet towering monstrosities before her. As if her fury gave her confidence, she took a step towards them, pointing at his crotch.

“How adorable, you think you could please a woman like me with  _that?!_  Honey, you may be blessed with girth, but I know you’re  _certainly_  not an expert in making me orgasm. Such a waste of potential,”

The massive Tyrant looked shocked for a moment, and Tish genuinely thought he was about to lash out violently. But then he grinned cruelly.

“I like you, little Firecracker. You can call me ALPHA 069,” He said, his voice laced with sexual inuendo.

“Nice,” Sallie said sarcastically through gritted teeth. “Don’t call me. Ever.” She gave the other towering Tyrants a glare before dismissing them. “Dickweeds,” Yanking Tish’s arm, she hurried away from the towering monsters before anything could be done. Tish’s eyes were too intrigued with the other smaller B.O.Ws across the forecourt, surveying them.

“Ahh, fresh meat!” Boomed a voice beside the smaller Tyrant, and suddenly a hand slapped onto his back. Another B.O.W came into view, his lipless smirk forever there, a glint of a predator in his features. Unlike the other Tyrant, this one had more colour in his flesh. He only had one eye, for a horrible experiment had forced his other eye to be blinded, stitched flesh crudely lapsed over it.  His crooked teeth and gums were on constant show, unable to close what would have been his lips. He mirrored the other tyrant’s bulk and was dressed in what seemed like leather pants and an apron-like shirt, allowing his bulking purple veins to not be trapped by such attire. “Humans too!” Nemesis chuckled, shaking his head. “This Uni is going down the fucking drain, man,”

His older brother, Mr X, rolled his eyes at his statement.

Tish stared at the lipless grimacing beast that had approached the smaller tyrant. Something about him, was so grotesque and yet…he seemed so lively and fascinating. If a complete douche can…

Nemesis gave his older brother  _the look_ , one that consisted of his over-confidence in ‘scoring’. Ahh, there he goes again! With an air of eagerness, Nemesis walked towards the new humans. They were not as big as the Tyrants, but they still stood an impressive 7-9 feet tall, dwarfing the human women easily.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” Nemesis cooed, giving Tish the eye.

Assuming those words were for her, Sallie quickly turned around, fuming at Nemesis.

“Oh, not you too!” She snapped, and Nemesis shot a hot glare at her.

“Nah, not you!” He barked, pushing Sallie violently out of the way, and looked back at Tish with questionable desire. “How are  _you_  doing?” He asked Tish again, his tone changing quickly.

Disgusted with his attitude and treatment to her friend, Tish shot a hot glare at Nemesis. How disrespectful.

“I’m going to save your virgin arse a little trouble. Treating others around you like trash won’t make me feel anything for you. That shit only works in movies. And you better watch it if you touch my friend ever again,” She threatened, knowing she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

Sallie had to give her credit for trying though. It wasn’t like that to speak up so strongly against monsters like this.

Nemesis laughed, his already garish grin widening even further.

“Don’t you worry, I’ll win you over,” He assured her.

Mr X touched his arm, catching Nemesis’ attention, and shook his head firmly. Knowing what he meant, Nemesis sighed, and rolled his eye. “Ooookaaaay. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be such a knob-jockey, especially to new students,”

Tish was surprised he had apologised at all and flushed a little, not knowing why.

Sallie, on the other hand, found this a little too bizarre. As if Tish was going to fall for that! Though she realised that the other Tyrant seemed to have done something to encourage Nemesis. She eyed him carefully, looking at the leather black overcoat, his boots and fedora. He looked remarkably human, with a broad jawline and strangely handsome features. He looked much older than the tall tyrants.

The bell rang in the distance, alerting all students to return to their homeroom class, and Sallie nudged Tish.

“Let’s go,”

Tish stirred from her thoughts and nodded. Reluctantly, she tore her attention away from Nemesis and tried to focus on the job at hand.

“Yeah. Let’s go, we still have to see the Dean before we sign in,” She said, reminding herself more than anyone else. 


	2. The Dean

#  UMBRELLA **UNIVERSITY**

##  ** Chapter 1: The Dean **

 

They began to find their way through the imposing building before them. The doors were enormous and standing wide open, leading into a huge, dimly lit open lobby. Inside, mutated students from all virus-types were milling around, all looking terrifying.

“I think it’s this way?” Tish said, trying to remember the directions that had been given to her before they arrived.

Sallie took the lead, trying to take Tish to safety. She knew, when it called, Tish can defend herself. But right now, she wanted to see this Dean and demand answers. This wasn’t the right place.

Eventually, they found the door. Again, it was huge to cater to the much taller students. With a crooked sign that grimaced  **‘DEAN’S OFFICE’** , Sallie knew this was the correct place to be. She knocked and waited, only to hear a voice from inside beckon them to enter.

Hesitantly, they both entered, horrified to find, not another monster, but a  _human_.

Sitting behind the desk, as if expecting them, was a handsome, blond tall man, his face chiselled to perfection, eyes hidden behind sunglasses…this wasn’t right. This had to be a joke!

“Welcome to Umbrella University,” He introduced proudly, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m Albert Wesker, the Dean of this facility. You must be the new students,”

“You have a lot to answer for,” Sallie said quickly, not in the mood for his formal, choreographed introductions. “We don’t belong here,”

“Ah, I see you’re moody and agitated,” Wesker said, waving his hand. “Fret not, I get it from all the Tyrants. You’re just like them,”

“Say what?” Sallie snarled, before stopping herself when Tish gave her a pleading stare. Wesker continued.

“Actually, you have arrived at the correct destination. This was no error. This was a change in advancement,” He smirked, adding: “You were nominated to be here,”

“Nominated to be here?” Tish repeated, taken back in surprise. “Does that mean someone wanted us to study here?” She had never expected this sort of treatment; she’d thought this was all some big dumb mistake. But to find out that they were supposed to be here?

She had to admit, studying with monsters didn’t seem so bad after all…

Wesker nodded, clasping his hands together.

“Unfortunately, I am not allowed to disclose such information, but all I can say is that you have been observed thoroughly by Umbrella, and was nominated to join this special, and highly private, University,”

A pause.

“Why?” Sallie asked bluntly. Wesker stalled, a little surprised to hear the lack of joy in her voice. He simply chuckled though.

“I cannot answer that. But this is certainly not a mistake. I could tell you were thinking of that,”

“So, what happens now? Do we just study with monsters?”

“B.O.Ws, actually. Bio-Organic Weapons. Your connectivity with humans, infamously known for…bearing difficult and unbearable traits, made you both perfect for this program,” He spoke this with a hint of bitterness. Sallie noticed this, so he hated the human race too?

“I don’t get it,” Sallie jabbed.

Tish’s expression fell into a scowl.

“You trying to say we’re insufferable bitches or something?” Something about his perfect features seemed so cold and calculating, and it made her feel uneasy. If he was trying to insinuate something, then she was going to pull him up on it.

Wesker shook his head firmly.

“Nonsense,” He said. “Look, I won’t bore you with such petty details. Right now, you are new students and you are going to fit right in. Understand?” He stood up suddenly. “Now, to assign you both to your classes. You also need to do one after-class activity, which happens every day after 4:00PM,” He faced Tish. “Theresa, what recreational class would you like to do?”

Tish was caught off-guard completely. She blurted out the first thing in her mind that sounded like a class.

“Art?” She squeaked, wondering if a place like this would even do that. She’d promised her family that she’d concentrated on more academic studies, but she couldn’t ignore the compulsion to get covered in paint.

Wesker smiled. He liked her promptness.

“Art is it, then. Good choice,” He turned to Sallie.  “And you, Sallie?”

“Art as well, please,”

Wesker gave her a small face of pain.

“I’m so sorry, I’m afraid your friend just took the last spot,”

Sallie frowned, but then thought for a moment.

“Literature,”

Wesker shook his head.

“Full,”

“Science?”

“Full,”

“Drama,”

“Full,”

“Literature!”

“We’ve been over this,”

Sallie was evidently getting angry at this point and threw her hands in the air.

“Then what classes  _aren’t_  full?!”

Wesker paused, thinking. Then…

“Basketball Team needs an extra player. They can’t join any leagues without a full team,”

“Fine, I guess. Basketball!” Sallie heaved.

“Or you could be a cheer-leader-”

“Basketball it is then!” Sallie insisted impatiently. No way in hell she was going to dress in a small skirt and prance around.

Tish suppressed a giggle that threatened to burst forth. Instead, she considered how Wesker seemed to block Sallie until she picked the thing he wanted. She assured herself, it was probably just a coincidence. She preoccupied herself with wondering what her art-class would entrail. Would it be life-drawing?

She flushed as she wondered if Nemesis would pose for that one…

“Wonderful! Now,” Wesker beckoned the girls out of his office, pushing their backs and guiding them out. “We shall meet again soon, but right now, you have class. Just down the end of the hall. I’m sure you know what to do,”

And before any of the could say a word, the door closed behind them. 


	3. Homeroom

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 2: Homeroom **

Sallie scoffed.

“Well, that went peachy,” Then she gave Tish a sheepish smile. “C’mon, before I actually turn into a fucking tyrant myself,”

Tish nodded.

“Agreed. Let’s see what we’ve got in store,” She said gravely, concerned about who was teaching at the school for genetic monsters. She wondered briefly if the pair of them were about to be made fools of. Or perhaps mauled to death. Both seemed equally as bad as the other.

Soon, they were facing the door that would be a familiar sight to them. Their homeroom.

Sallie took a deep breath, feeling Tish’s uneasiness. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“We can do this. Don’t let those bastards intimidate you,” She smiled strongly, finally knocking on the door and entered by command.

The teacher spun around. Surprisingly, it was a human male. With long black hair, and rugged features, his accent interlaced with a Spanish accent. Tish was stunned for a moment by the teacher, completely surprised to see another human in this place.

“Ahh, you’re my new students. Please, come in,” He waved a hand for them to come inside, the heavy, metal door closed sharply behind them. “I am Luis, your homeroom teacher. A pleasure to meet you both,” He turned and pointed at the empty seats. “Please, take a seat,”

From the distance, she heard a strangled voice whispering to someone.

“Hey, Nemesis, you’ve got a friend…”

The B.O.W, Nemesis, looked up from his doodle to see the two human girls standing before class.

When Sallie turned to the voice, she noticed two distinct empty seats behind desks. They were much larger than the average desks and seats she grew up with. These were created for massive monsters. Briefly, she scanned her classmates. The class had an interesting variety of…well, BOWs. Monsters. They all adorned unique feature and had different mutations. But then-

_Fuck me with a rake…_

She saw that strange, one-eyed guy with the other tyrant, the lipless mong and the silent monster. Nemesis, was it? She had no clue of the other tyrant’s name. She drank in his features, seeing the familiar fedora. It didn’t bring much comfort for her.

And before Nemesis was one empty seat. The other was-

-beside that bastard tyrant. ALPHA 069.

 _I WANT TO DIE!_ Sallie screamed internally.

Not wanting Tish to suffer with ALPHA 069, Sallie took a deep breath and sacrificed her sanity for her, approaching to the empty seat beside the towering, damnation tyrant. Tyrant 069 was grinning broadly to Sallie, watching her sit beside him reluctantly.

“Shame it isn’t Sex Ed, eh Firecracker?” He said in a smarmy voice, trying to provoke a reaction.

Sallie tried to ignore it, but was not quick enough. Evidently, she grimaced, running a hand on her face and groaned.

“Kill me now…” She murmured angrily.

“Ah, ah!” Luis piped up, seemingly unaware of Sallie’s issue. “No killing in class. That’s what recess is for!” He turned to the board, a crooked black slab that had been etched with graphic graffiti, lewd gestures and typical bloodstains.

Tish kept her head down, her gaze focused on the floor away from the other students. The multitude of eyes in the room followed them to their seats. Tish slid into her seat sullenly, quickly and noisily searching through her bag for a notebook and a pen. She wondered if the lipless creature would bother her to get her attention. Probably…

“Now, let us discuss about the history of the most prominent virus, the T-Virus!” Luis announced.

Nemesis, rather excitingly, kicked his older brother’s chair beside him, alarming him.

“Hey, hey, Trenchy! That’s you!” He burst out, way too loudly. Some of the members glared back at them. Perhaps the arrival of Tish got him a bit too excited. Unlike his older brother, Mr X, Nemesis was a little rowdy.

Tish couldn’t help but find his excitement a little endearing. He was a dick-bag, but at least he was passionate about something.

Beside them, Tish caught 069 snickered behind his hand.

“Hey, little Firecracker,” He whispered, leaning forward in his seat so that he loomed menacingly over Sallie. “You want the D-Virus?”

Tish wanted to tell him to back off, seeing Sallie beginning to lose her patience, but something collided with her seat, pushing her enormous chair sideways a little so that she nearly fell out of it. She turned around and glared at the two behind her accusingly.

Nemesis blinked, staring back at Tish before giving her a lipless grin.

“It wasn’t me!” He hissed in mock-innocence, glaring at Mr X. “Hey, stop bullying the pretty girls, yer grumpy bastard!”

Mr X shot a blazing glare at him. Funny, how Nemesis was sitting direction behind Tish’s seat…

Sallie bit her lip for a time, trying to compress her fury. But then, suddenly, the wrath was gone. She turned to 069 in her chair, looking back at him with a strange hunger in her eyes.

“Actually, I do, big boy,” She whispered seductively, ogling him up and down.

069 blinked, and his confident smile faltered a little.

“W-What?” He squeaked in surprise.

She beckoned a finger to 069, making him lean down towards her.

“Listen, I’m not kidding about wanting it,” She whispered, her voice laced with lust. She ran a hand across his jawline, easily dwarfed by his sheer size difference. “Give me the D-Virus. Seriously, I want it,” Then a cruel smile blossomed on her face and her tone turned dark. “So, I can find a fucking cure and be rid of you from this world,” She patted his cheek patronizingly and turned back in her seat, leaving 069 gawking at her response, unsure what to say.

Mr X blushed when he looked at Sallie. He was, for once, enjoying this class. To see 069 unsuccessfully claim a woman simply because he wanted to. It was refreshing to see him so mad too. Nemesis was better at pretending their bullying didn’t matter. Mr X smirked, then chuckled ever so softly behind his hand. 069 shot him a hard glare.

“Who are laughing at, you tiny, pathetic runt?” He snapped.

Tish suddenly shot a glare at him and couldn’t help yelling her next statement.

“No one cares about how big you  _think_  your dick is, so shut your face before someone does it for you!”

A dreadful silence fell over the room where Luis paused mid-sentence to stare at the situation. Tish swung back around in her seat, planting both arms firmly on her desk and glaring straight ahead.

For a long time, the class stared at Tish. Sallie smirked to herself, knowing how Tish can be when the right time called. She came across as shy and nervous at times, but once it came to defend someone, she was so passionate about it. She was proud of Tish. And it was certainly amusing to see those unexpected reactions from everyone.

Nemesis snorted, killing the silence and looked at 069.

“Ha, get told, asshat!” Nemesis howled, slamming his fist on the table, before leaning over his desk to Tish. “Hey, that was kinda hit. I like a woman with power,”

Luis fumed.

“Class, please! Leave the new students alone, they’re clearly intimidated,”

“They’re spicy, that’s what!” Nemesis sneered cheekily.

Tish shot dagger eyes at Nemesis.

“I’m trying to learn, dickbag!” She hissed, indicating her textbook and facing the front of the class again.

It was Sallie’s turn to speak.

“Heh,” She turned to Nemesis. “Get told,” She echoed, irritating Nemesis at this point.

Tish picked up her pen and started to furiously scribble away in her notebook, ignoring Nemesis trying to get her attention by whispering and kicking at her chair.

Mr X pondered over what had just happened, admiring the small humans. Instead of making any notes, he just sat and stared at Sallie dreamily, admiring the tiny trench-coat and adorably small boots.

069 fumed on his seat, thinking hard about what he was going to do to get them back for this. He pulled out his phone and texted his lackeys to get some ideas.

Sallie followed, continuing to listen to the lesson. For a time, thankfully, the class settled down.

Luis was explaining about the T-Virus, introducing a few of the monsters in the room that were from the T-Virus tree. This included Mr X. Sallie had to admit, Mr X looked different, but no less intimidating. More sophisticated, if anything, like his creation had intentions in the first place. This was the kind of being you didn’t wish to bump into down a dark corridor of some isolated police station.

She was genuinely getting interested in the history of it, for a time, dangerously, forgetting about the looming presence of 069 beside her. It wasn’t until a scrunched-up ball of paper was thrown at her. It hit her head, and holding back her temper, ever so calmly, knocked the paper ball off her desk.

Then another came.

“Psst, open it, yer dumbass!” Hissed a voice behind her further back, and she opened it, seeing crude handwriting:

WHAT’S THE NUMBER OF YOUR PRETTY FRIEND?

Sallie stared at it with a tight smile.

Nemesis watched Sallie in eagerness as she furiously scribbled on the paper, before tossing it quickly back when Luis turned away.

Excitingly, Nemesis opened the paper and read her answer:

0800-GO-FUCK-YOURSELF

“Goddammit!” He groaned in defeat, thumping his fist on the table.

Tish was very focus on her work. She was vaguely aware when Luis called on a student to come to the front of the class to demonstrate a kind of mutation pattern.

When the student returned to their seat, she noticed a folded slip of paper being left on her desk. She glanced belatedly around but didn’t catch who it was. She opened the paper and saw a little doodle of one of the Tyrants standing beside a crude, if adorable sketch of Sallie. They appeared to be holding hands. There was a question mark scribbled at the side of the drawing.

Tish took a closer look at the Tyrant doodle and saw a very particular kind of hat on his head. She smiled, drawing a little heart between them with ‘maybe’ written in the middle.

Folding the paper into an aeroplane, she lobbed it back at Mr X. He didn’t notice it coming immediately, and it hit him in the face gentle, fluttering down into his lap.

He quickly scooped it up and unfolded it.

_Sallie’s friend thought Sallie might like him!_

The class was beginning to drag, at least for Sallie. To her dismay, she was slowly nodding off. She had a terrible time sleeping, throughout almost all her life. She was nocturnal, as she playfully stated, but a part of her believed it was true. She was far more active at night.

Eventually, she relaxed onto her desk, her head in her folded arms, watching Luis presenting one of those disgusting hissing Regenerators, and soon announced Nemesis T-Type to come up. Sallie was faintly amused to find him willingly standing up before the class, flexing his arms, and suggestively giving someone the look. That someone was Tish. Sallie caught Tish simply glaring at Nemesis as he flexed and demonstrated all his abilities way too enthusiastically. Tish rolled her eyes. This wasn’t the first time a douche had attempted to grab all her attention. Sallie smirked for a time, but it fell quickly, tiredly.

_God, I need fucking coffee…_

That was the last conscious thought Sallie recalled before she was long-gone to the world, slumping onto her desk, her face buried in her arms and began to sleep.

Mr X thought Sallie was concentrating hard on her work for a moment, but then in chilling moment of realization he noticed that she had fallen asleep. He knew 069 would probably mess with her, and so he knew he had to do something.

He leaned forward and firmly, but carefully, pushed her chair in ever so slightly. He hoped the sudden jolt would surprise her out of her nap. The last thing she needed was to be picked on by the teacher for something that she couldn’t help doing.

Somehow, by a miracle, the small nudge was enough to alert the human awake. She sat up suddenly rubbing her head in shame and glanced around quickly. Most of the class were too into Nemesis’ silly mating display. Sighing deeply, she rested her head in her hands and stared forward, glad that no one had seen her asleep. She focused her attention on Nemesis, who was laughing triumphantly as Luis explained his purpose and what kind of Tyrant he was. Nemesis flexed his arms again, grunting obnoxiously and showing off.

“Yeah. I was built as a weapon! A weapon to fight against the armies!” He hurried down between the desks and approached Tish, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her effortlessly out from her chair. “See? Compare my height to this beauty! I was built to be the ultimate weapon of mass destruction!”

Tish was irritated beyond belief at Nemesis’s little display of her, plucking her out of her seat like a little silly dolly. She was about to lash out like a rattlesnake at the hefty idiot when she heard one of 069’s lackeys snarking something so intelligent.

“Hurr-Hurr, don’t you mean  _ass_  destruction?!” One of 069’s lackeys burst out, causing some of the class to laugh. Luis slapped a hand over his face.

“Wouldn’t you know all about that, being a submissive bottom?” Tish snapped, leaving the foolish Elite Tyrant stumped into silence, his face fell into an expression of dumb shock. Tish turned to Nemesis, furious. “Put me down you fucking mong! I’m not a CPR doll!” She demanded, starting to struggle in mid-air.

Sallie stared, a little perplex with the situation. The scene resembled strongly of a person holding a little vicious honey badger by the scruff of its neck. As soon as it figured out how to reach some flesh, the idiot holding it would be mauled horribly.

 _Nemesis is gonna die…_  Came the cynically amused thought.

Bitten by her viciousness, Nemesis, oddly, obeyed her command. He placed her back down in her seat delicately and seemed to have a lost a chunk of his confidence.

“That’ll do, Nemesis.” Luis said, rather tiredly.

Nemesis slinked back into his seat, reflecting on how Tish reacted. She wasn’t the typical shy girl that would scream at his face. Yes, she was sharp, ‘spicy’ as the other Tyrants would describe it. But he felt as though they got onto the wrong foot. This was bizarre, he wasn’t used to such a reaction from a human. He turned back to Sallie, eyeing her against the massive 069, and finding her reaction strange too.

_These women weren’t just human…_

Nemesis began to rub his chin thoughtfully.

“Well,” Luis’ voice chimed in his thoughts. “Considering we’ve practically introduced the Viruses, why not we get introduced by our new members.” He beamed, ignoring the fact that Tish and Sallie were not in the best of moods. All the members turned their attention to the humans. “Who shall start?”

 _Better move before I fall asleep again…_  Sallie thought, rising from her seat.

“I’ll start,” She stated firmly, approaching the front of the class. Hopefully she can drag this out long enough to give Tish some sort of peace. She knew Tish was distraught with the idea of doing such a thing, it always raised annoying questions.

Tish took a deep breath of relief, listening to Sallie politely as she spoke in front of the class.

“So, tell us your name and a bit about yourself.” Luis smiled, leaning on his desk and letting Sallie take the spotlight.

“I’m Sallie Knight,” She replied, staring ahead. Standing before an audience was not what bothered her. She had grown used to many eyes staring up at her at this point. She focused on Tish, however, feeling more at ease, only to find her gaze back at Mr X in fascination. “I was in the army. Sergeant Major.”

Mr X was staring straight at Sallie, trying in vain to place everything she said in his memory, so he could think of something to talk about with her. He even made a couple of notes.

Tish waited for one of the Elite Tyrants from the Goon Squad to say something disrespectful. For some reason, however, they didn’t do anything. But she knew it wouldn’t be for long. She couldn’t help but feel the overwhelming sensation of guilt washing over her for yelling at Nemesis before, but she dismissed it, folding her arms a little grumpily. There was no way she was letting him get to her.

“A Sergeant Major?” Luis piped up, eyeing her doubtfully. Her size didn’t scream military, though he noted the vague shape of taut muscle beneath her trench-coat sleeves. “Is that-?”

“Yes, it’s true!” Sallie spat, already waiting for such a statement. “I was in the army most of my life. Taking control of guys much bigger than I is easy for me,” She gave 069 a hard glare, who cocked a brow at her nastily. “Big men don’t scare me,”

“R-Right…” Luis murmured, noticing the hostility. He tried to change the subject. “So, how about your friend-”

“I haven’t finished!” Sallie piped up, trying to kill more time. “I-I was in the army, for almost all my life. Uh, but under certain circumstances, I had to leave. I became a Captain of a special force…” She trailed off.

Nemesis leaned over slowly. There was something about that line he didn’t like…

Tish heard Nemesis’s enormous seat creak as he leaned forward and was baffled by this. He’d seemed like a carefree dickwad before and now he was suddenly so interested in what Sallie had to say. Tish even swivelled in her seat but saw his one milky eye was focused on her friend. She was confused, what about Sallie’s past that could possibly bother him? In fact, many of the BOWs in the room had fallen completely silent, listening intently to what she had to say. Perhaps it was because they’d been conditioned to fight the army? That thought made her uncomfortable, and it seemed that Sallie felt it too.

Sallie’s shoulders tightened, reconsidering her words now.

“A special force, huh?” Luis piped up, folding his arms. “What force was this?” He didn’t seem aware on what he was about to release.

Sallie opened her mouth-

That was when the bell rung deafeningly, cutting Sallie off. At that moment, chairs began to scoot and screech loudly, and the classroom was a chaotic barrage of monsters and BOWs already rushing out of the room for recess.

“N-Now, don’t forget about your research today, guys!” Luis cried out, his voice easily drowned by the masses of creatures that thundered past him and Sallie.

Tish waited in the safety of her seat for all their classmates to leave before she grabbed her things and scooted off to the floor. She waited for Sallie to return to her desk, retrieving her backpack, and Tish approached her, indicating with a gesture of her hand the BOWs who’d fled for their break.

“What was with them? They all suddenly got real quiet.” She paused. “You think they have a problem with the army,”

Sallie said nothing for a time, folding her arms.

“Probably. Not many BOWs are fond with the Army.” A cynical smirk came to her face. “I just thought that would shut them up, including the big guys…” Her smile faltered. “But I couldn’t help but feel…a little…” She trailed off, swiftly turning to Luis, who was resuming in reading the newspaper. Though it was evident he was reading another magazine behind it. A saucy one. She thought about questioning him but decided against it. “Let’s move it. I could go for a coffee real bad right now,” She looked exhausted suddenly.

Tish nodded.

“Let’s get some coffee, then. We both need to be on our guard right now.” She pulled her bag up onto her shoulder, and they headed out of the door, turning and following the throngs of BOWs and zombies towards the canteen. 


	4. The Canteen

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 3: The Canteen **

Upon arriving at the Canteen, Sallie was rather surprised to find a decent little café, where other students were waiting in line to get hot beverages. Zombies milled aimlessly between the queue, only to leave and return wondering where it was. Regenerators mindlessly hissed, and didn’t move down the queue when it shifted, only for a nearby BOW to nudge them, and they tottered forward.

Tish’s eyes widened.

“Look at the size of those paper cups!” She squealed, seeing where hot drinks were being dispersed further down. “I could get in it and have a comfortable bath!” She was exaggerating a little bit. The cups were close to being bucket sized. She couldn’t imagine drinking that much coffee in a week.

Her companion, on the other hand, probably could.

The idea of drinking so much coffee was pleasing for Sallie.

“Damn, where was this when I needed it the most!” Sallie piped up, feeling eager to get her fill. They waited in the queue carefully, overshadowed by the massive bulky and terribly mangled variety of BOWs that surrounded them, and then finally they got to the coffee machine. Sallie stared at it for a time. “These…seem like brands I don’t recognise…”

Tish eyed the labels and had to agree; they were very odd-sounding brands. Eventually, she pointed at the one with the red and orange label:  **XPRESSO**

“What about this?” Tish suggested. “How about we get this one and see what it’s like, in case it’s filth?”

When Sallie nodded, Tish rustled through some of her change, and Sallie decided to contribute to it. The coin slot was above their heads, but reachable. They dropped in their change and pressed the large flat button. The paper cup dropped down into the holder, paused, and then searing hot dark brown liquid gushed down into it. It smelt twisted and burnt, making Sallie frown. Typical vending machine coffee…

When it was full, Tish reached in and took out the bucket of coffee. Guiding it slowly, Tish heaved the bucket to the nearest empty table, and plopped it down heavily as she sat. “You first,” She said nervously, pushing it towards her. “You need the caffeine.”

“Oh, so I’m the Guinea Pig, now?” Sallie said in mock-anger, before chuckling. “I see how it is,” She tugged at the bucket-cup, peering down at the steaming liquid and seeing her rippling reflection in it. “Well, at least I don’t have to put up with those mongs if I die…” She grinned a Tish. “You better take care of yourself!”

Before anything was said, Sallie angled the pail-like cup as carefully as she could, pressing her lips against the edge of the cup and tried to intake the dark liquid. Then she began sipping it.

 

Too distracted with this experiment, they didn’t notice their fellow classmates further down. Nemesis and Mr X stood in the queue, waiting. Nemesis noticed the humans instantly, they stuck out from the crowd of BOWs like black on white.

“Pfft,” He snorted with a grin, shaking his head. He watched as Sallie attempted to drink from the oversized cup. He nudged Mr X beside him, demanding his attention and pointing. “This isn’t a place for humans…nothing caters to their size!” Nemesis didn’t expect a reply from Mr X. He turned and gave him a grin. “Hey, Trenchy! You think I can woo her!”

The very thought of it scorched Mr X’s temper. His expression darkened into a thunderous scowl and his gloved hands clenched so tightly the leather creaked. Nemesis was  _always_  trying to steal any ladies he had his eyes on. He wasn’t going to stand for it this time; if he managed to speak to Sallie, then he was going to make sure Nemesis didn’t get a look in! He took note how Nemesis watched them, finding their struggles amusing. He was always so egotistic about himself, always claiming to be Umbrella’s gift. Mr X hated that about him. He seemed to be overshadowed by his little brother…

How pitiful.

Amid his thought, he felt a very subtle rumble vibrating through the soles of his boots. A familiar sensation. But he knew what it was. And so did Nemesis.

“Ahh, balls…” Nemesis grumbled, irritated slightly. “Here they come to wreak the fucking day…”

 

Tish watched intensely as Sallie sipped, then she began to chug the coffee. It must have been good, or at least loaded with caffeine.

“How is it? Fit for our delicate consumption?” She joked, readjusting her glasses.

When Sallie finally stopped, she pulled a strange face, as if taking in the bitterness, smacking her lips and tongue for a few times to get the taste of it. Then she smiled wryly, a little bemused.

“Gritty as fuck, but I like it!”

Tish laughed, snorting.

“That describes you pretty well, you’re hard as nails!” She beamed. Sallie offered the cup to her to give it a try, and Tish carefully took it. She took a sip, and Sallie watched her expression grimace.

“Not exactly the best, but it’s better than nothing…” Sallie’s voice trailed off when she felt something rumble, much louder than she realised. It made Tish pull away from the huge cup and it took her a moment to realise the shaking in the floor was not her surging pulse rate being loaded up on caffeine. Tish watched Sallie’s expression darken when she looked up, and reluctantly, looked over her shoulder.

The massive lumbering BOWs, the Elite Tyrants, were striding into the canteen, dressed in their huge leather outfits, and clearly flaunted it. ALPHA 069 was at the lead of them, of course.

Tish quickly looked back at Sallie in worry, seeing her glaring hard at the Elite Tyrants, particularly their leader.

“Shall we get out of here?” Tish advised urgently.

But as Tish spoke, Sallie watched as 069’s pupil-less eyes scanned the room, and instantly locking eyes on his prey: Sallie Knight. The instant he saw her, a nasty smirk stretched his ashen-white face. But even if they were to leave now, it was too late. 069 approached them, reaching them in three, huge easy steps. His tyrant lackeys followed behind him, and the canteen seemed to have fallen into intense silence, inquisitive eyes watching the scene.

“You two are awfully mouthy for such tiny little morsels,” He commented, grinning lecherously at Sallie. “But you’re so hot I almost don’t mind.”

His lackeys all laughed as if on cue, making Tish’s face scorch with humiliation.

“Like, are you aware you’re every 80s movie stereotype right now?” Tish yawned with a roll of her eyes, facing Sallie. “What do you think, Sal?”

Sallie heard Tish, but she didn’t answer. She just simply stared at 069. She focused her gaze on him sturdily, her dark blue stare locking with his white-hot eyes. Tish began to feel her heart sink to find Sallie saying nothing. Normally, she would have shouted some snarky yet clever remark. But when she was silent, it left Tish uneasy.

069 chuckled nastily, resting his massive fortified boot onto the bench by their table, making it bow against his weight drastically. Tish felt herself slid from the sudden incline and stood up, but Sallie remained, her boots firmly planted in the ground, still staring at 069 coldly. It was a forceful stare, military-like, as if she was trying to read him, trying to understand the concept of him, trying to get a grasp of him, inside and out. It was rather uncomfortable for Tish, the quiet almost unbearable.

“What’s the matter, little firecracker?” 069 asked teasingly, his voice oozing with lewd malice. “Y’know I love it when you stare at me like that.”

Tish watched silently, seeing Sallie now finally tearing her eyes away from 069, her head bowed.

_Is she okay?!_

Sallie’s hand lifted to her face and covered her mouth, only to hunch lower. Tish felt horrified to see Sallie’s shoulders jittering, as if a hitch from a sob-

_Was she crying?!_

“Sallie-” Tish’s small voice came, but was interrupted.

By a small, soft noise. It took her a while to realise it was coming from Sallie and thought for sure she was crying. But then the noise grew in intensity, rapidly, and Tish stared to find Sallie…

…laughing?

A howl of laughter reached to the ceiling of the canteen, stunning everyone around her, including the Elite Tyrants. One Elite Tyrant, bearing the batch number of 072, leaned over to 069, who stared at the tiny human, speechless.

“Uh…boss?” 072 muttered, a little confused by the reaction. This was…unexpected. Even for Tish, it seemed.

When Sallie looked at Tish with that familiar glint of strength in her eyes and that bold smirk, Tish was relieved to see that Sallie had intended that.

“Honestly, I think he’s funny,” Sallie piped up confidently, without a shred of fear in her features. She suddenly snapped her attention to the looming 069, her smug smirk painfully annoying to him. “I like how you try to berate me and Tish. But if anything, you’re just entertaining me, sweetheart! Seriously, I’ve fought against men who were more serious than you in the army!”

The tension of the two got excruciating now, fury thundering between them.

069’s cheek twitched, his enormous jaw clenching visibly. His shoulders became tense as his pale, lifeless eyes focused on her. His thin lips peeled back in an ugly snarl.

“Entertaining, huh?” He grilled slowly through clenched teeth. “Well, let’s see if  _this_  is funny!” He roared furiously, lifting his huge fist above the small human and aiming it to bring it down onto Sallie’s head.

Sallie looked up…

The world around her, the observing BOWs, the bleachy-whiteness of the canteen…they were nothing but a background fuzz, incomprehensible and unimportant. It was as if Sallie and 069 were enclosed in a bubble, and only they existed inside it, while everything outside was blurred and vague.

The sight was something agonizingly familiar, a raw memory Sallie had seen before. She held her breath. In that sheer moment, everything went cold. Her confidence drained almost too quickly to register. That split second, she felt a distinct sensation. Fear. Pure, animal  _fear_. She hadn’t felt it in a long, long time. She had forgotten how much it seized oneself, how it made her feel so vulnerable and weak, a feeling she despised. Weakness. But she wasn’t going to allow such a weak emotion hold her back against a battle she was ready for!

Despite knowing she had no chance against the Tyrant, she lifted her hands up instinctively to stop him, bracing for impact…

Tish’s eyes widened, full of horror and shock, and her mouth fell open in a soundless gasp.  She had to move, scream, say  _something!_  But the fist was falling, falling, the terrible force and violence radiating from it.

“Hey you fu-!” She started, but there was the sound of thumping footsteps that thundered behind her at a frightening speed, followed by a huge, booming roar.

In that second, Mr X had crossed the space between them and lunged in front of 069, catching his arm by the wrist. His strong fingers dug in and his powerful arms ceased 069’s momentum.

The larger Tyrant looked at Mr X in disgust, his eyes wide with frenzied ferocity.

“Let…go!” He choked out, his body shaking with the effort of trying to harm Sallie.

Mr X’s threatening stare deepened further, leaning closer to the Elite Tyrant. And for the first time his own lips moved.

“No.” He growled softly, and swiftly launched 069 with an immediate punch to the chest, the impact strong enough to hurl the Elite Tyrant across the canteen, destroying several tables and benches, scattering them madly at his rough landing.

The Elite Tyrant lackeys stared in dumbfounded amazement. Mr X’s burning white gaze turned to them, and that initial contact made each of them back way a few steps, before spinning around and rushing across the canteen to their fallen leader.

Tish panted frantically, and looked up at Mr X.

“Thanks for the interruption!” She said breathlessly, shaking all over.

Sallie froze, her hands slowly dropped down, trembling hysterically, her expression blanched now.

“Fucking hell...” Sallie said, her words little more than a whisper.

Nemesis hurried over to them, his voice loud and rowdy.

“Waaah! Trenchy!” He cried out once he got to Mr X and the humans. “That was fucking badass! I never knew you could do-!” He stopped and stared, for he was too distracted to see the small, feisty human suddenly moving and-

Mr X froze, feeling Sallie’s arms enfold his waist from behind. He slowly turned and looked down at her, all the anger he had felt previously melting away immediately. His heart rate thundered in his chest as he looked at her. He didn’t know what to do…should he embrace her back?

Sallie was trying very hard not to show fear. It appeared she was just embracing Mr X as a display of her gratitude. But the truth was, she was  _petrified_. Shaking hard. Something terrible had latched onto her, a painful reminder, and she feared it, trying to shake it off. Her arms hugged Mr X tighter to try and stop the shakes, but they have become uncontrollable. She buried her face into the leather of his coat, hiding her face. It was like a wave of ancient trauma had returned.

Mr X felt her shaking.

“That was really badass, I have to agree with Smiley there!” Tish said, shooting a grin at Nemesis, who reflected a hot glare back.

“Smiley?!” He burst out, offended. Then he quickly brushed the offense away and masked it with typical confidence. “I’ll have you know I have the most fucking stunning smile!” He leaned down to Tish, his smile stretching more into a gruelling grin. “Heeee!” He boomed.

“I, of course, meant it as nothing more than a compliment. There are few who could boast a smile as broad and as sparkling white as yours there, mate!” She replied, finding herself less and less intimidated by him.

Nemesis stalled, blinking a few times before feeling his cheeks heat up.

“U-Uh…really?” He stammered, abruptly losing the self-confidence and seemed to be like a little shy boy. “Y-You think it’s a nice smile?”

“It’s the nicest smile I’ve ever gotten, so feel free to show me it whenever you want.” Tish said, realising only after how flirty she sounded. She covered her mouth and giggled like a silly idiot.

Mr X hardly noticed their banter. He slowly lifted his arms and rested them gently on Sallie’s shoulders, so glad that she was unharmed. He leaned down a little more, bringing her even further into his arms. With a bit of effort, he attempted to speak again.

“Sa-ll-iee,” It was hard to speak, harder for him than the others. He was created to lead other Tyrants without words and so it was so difficult for him. He desperately wanted her to know that she was safe now.

She heard him. His word was very broke, but she  _heard_  him and understood it. Sallie looked up to him, finally meeting him face-to-face. He seemed to look much older than, say, Nemesis or 069, but there was something weirdly attractive about that.

“Hi,” She mewed softly, giving him a small smile. She let out a long, shuddering sigh, feeling her body relaxing at last in his arms. The trauma was passing. “What’s your name?”

“His name is T-00!” Nemesis blurted out, ruining the moment. He was finding the little public display of affection off-putting. “Or Trenchy! That’s my name for him!”

“What’s  _your_  name?” Sallie asked, firmly this time, her eyes onto Mr X to let him know she was talking to him, and not Nemesis.

Nemesis gave Tish a small look of defeat.

“What? I was trying to help!”

“You’re third-wheeling, and you know you are, Smiley.” Tish shook her head, grinning. She was still so glad Sallie was fine! 069’s reaction was so inadvertent and atrocious.

Nemesis sighed heavily. Yeah, third-wheeling…he knew that for sure. Was this how Mr X felt all the time whenever Nemesis found a woman? What…an uncomfortable feeling… He regarded Tish for a time, finding how her comment was less heated than how she spoke to him before.

_Hmm, perhaps not all hope was gone…_

Mr X ignored his brother, his glowing eyes focused on Sallie. He felt confident enough to speak to her more. He placed a hand on his chest, indicating himself.

“Mr X.” He said, all the syllables drawn out.

“Mr X,” Sallie repeated, smiling kindly. “That’s a cool name. I like it. It’s much better than a bunch of codes, or numbers, or Nemesis.”

“HEY!” Nemesis burst out, overhearing her. But he was ignored again. He grumbled, turning his attention to the Elite Tyrants, finding them all gathering their leader and trying to brush him off. 069 seemed pissed off, pushing them all away from him and snapping at them.

“We should go elsewhere…” Nemesis murmured to the group, nodding his head at the Elite Tyrants. Tish spotted them, watching them get hounded by 069 for their lack of support from Mr X’s defence. She quickly faced Sallie and Mr X.

“Hey, Sal. Smiley is right. We should get out of here!” Tish insisted, giving Nemesis a smirk. “Maybe a couple of huge, handsome blokes would give us a lift?” She suggested brazenly. She was desperate to be away from this area, to escape the huge Tyrants and their inevitable wrath.

Almost reluctantly, Sallie and Mr X broke the embrace, and Sallie resumed back to her tough persona, her rare, sensitive side now gone.

“Let’s go.” She began to leave the canteen, the others following her quickly. It pained her to abandon her half-drunken coffee, but it was better than to linger around to get fisted by 069-

Sallie winced at her own bad choice of words. 


	5. Sanctuary

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 4: Sanctuary **

“So, you’re a T-Virus Tyrant?” Sallie’s voice brought Mr X back into reality quickly.

The corridor had seemed to settle, much quieter compared to a few moments before where there was a constant flow of monsters, mutants and BOWs. Though the silence was never truly there. Mr X’s treads were naturally heavy, stabbing the silence with low, deep  _thuds!_

It was weirdly intimidating yet relaxing at the same time. The thought conflicted Sallie strangely.

Mr X nodded slowly, still finding it hard to communicate properly.

“Long ago,” He murmured deeply, trying to say he was created quite some time ago. It was a source of shame that he found it so hard just to speak. It was something the others teased him about, behind closed doors, of course. No one dared do it in front of him, but he was very aware of it.

“I get it,” Sallie smiled, cocking a brow at him. “You must have been made with a purpose to fight something. I mean,” She grabbed his bicep and gave them a squeeze, feeling the taut muscle beneath the leather. Even relaxed, the strength behind it was astounding. She was even more impressed than she thought. “These things are  _huge!_ ” She looked at his chest and shoulders. “Like, fucking broad! Look at the size of them!” Now that she thought of it, Mr X was extremely broad, bulking shoulders and built like a tank, a body of a war-machine! Attractively strong. Strong enough to pick her off the floor so easily. Not many men could do that to her and live to tell the tale. In fact, many men she had encountered ended up on the pool of their own blood crying for mercy.

Mr X didn’t seem to be the kind of ‘man’ to cry. He seemed to be the one that could dominate her authority, show her who is boss and isn’t at all fragile to her hot-headed demeanour.

Someone who could  _overpower_  her!

 _Jesus Christ, this is like one of those fucking Animes where women marry monsters…_  Came the sarcastic thought.

She glanced away and grumbled for a moment, finding her cheeks burning swiftly at the thought.

_Where the fuck did that come from?_

Tish walked briskly beside Nemesis, too intent on her own thoughts to realise Sallie’s state. Tish was always that one scientist in her previous employ that was always striding around with great purpose, always so busy with some research here and there.

“So, what about you? What were you originally created for?” Tish asked, genuinely curious.

Nemesis paused for a time, and then he decided to go against trying to tarnish himself in a brilliant light, and instead, tell Tish the gritty truth.

“I was created after my brother. I was to hunt down and destroy any members of S.T.A.R.S.”

Tish’s heart began to race as her gaze snapped upwards to look at him in astonishment. Trying to keep calm, she tried to play it off, making a small hum in agreement, uncertain in what to reply with.

Nemesis pointed at Mr X, continuing his explanation without missing a beat. “He had the same purpose too. To find the G-Virus and to kill any remaining S.T.A.R.S members.” Nemesis shrugged. “Some say there are a few still alive.”

Sallie staggered a bit, trying not to make it obvious. But Mr X saw Sallie’s change, leaving him troubled. What was the matter? Had she had a run in with S.T.A.R.S too? Maybe they had hurt her as well-?!

“You don’t say…” Sallie replied, shaking off the abrupt tremor in her voice.

Nemesis suddenly burst into life, looking animated unexpectedly.

“Hey, you’re humans, right?!” He piped up suddenly, alarming the gang. “Have you seen any of them around?” He punched a fist into the palm of his hand, grunting in frustration. “I’m so fucking pissed off that some survived! Me and my big bro are fucking predators! We need to catch all of our prey!” He ended this with a manically evil laugh. It was intended as a joke with hidden intentions, but it only left Sallie and Tish distressed.

“I don’t sorry!” Sallie blurted out, a little taken back by Nemesis’ enthusiasm. “Question: Do all BOWs have a thing against S.T.A.R.S?”

Nemesis paused, frowning for a time, and then he began to pick at his teeth with his nails.

“Uh, I guess so. We were created to slaughter them, after all,” The BOW replied casually.

Tish had fallen silent, not knowing what to say. That very thought made her uncomfortable. They shouldn’t be here! She scrabbled for some logical course of action and all she could think was attempting to speak to Wesker about this. He must have known about their pasts, so why did he allow them to enrol in the first place?

But then a thought occurred to her…

Perhaps this was intentional. Maybe he brought them here, so that the Tyrants could finally catch their prey? She started to panic, her breathing quickening. Tish wasn’t part of S.T.A.R.S, but…

“So, any reason why you guys joined?” Nemesis asked, finding their sullen silence a little odd. When nothing was said for a time, Nemesis rolled his eye. “C’mon, I already have to put up with the silent treatment from this bastard.” He slapped Mr X’s back hard with an energetic boom of a laugh.

Mr X frowned, shooting a glare at Nemesis, hating the way he always threw little insults at him all the time. He wished he could spend time with Sallie without his loud-mouthed brother around.

“Uh, well, I was simply too violent for human society!” Sallie half-lied. Somehow, to her relief, Nemesis believed her.

“Yeah, I can tell. You seem more BOW than actual human,” He cocked a brow at Tish. “What about you, sunshine?”

Tish’s heart rate ratchetted up and found herself grimacing, attempting to appear casual. 

“OH ME?!” She said, a touch too loud. She promptly cleared her throat. “I was caught doing that whole ‘Mad-Scientist’ thing and was offered to come here instead of getting jail time,” She replied. Just like her companion, she lied too. She’d never lie so much in her life. But it was better than saying nothing. Or the truth, at least.

Nemesis was elated by this.

“Ohh, a mad scientist, huh?” He questioned; his interest perked. “Ohh, that is rather  _hot_. Sexy nurse- GAH!” He was interrupted sharply by a hard nudge from Sallie, feeling her elbow jabbing him in the gut, trying to coax him away from making a fool of himself.

The banter was quickly interrupted by the noise of the terrible bell, ringing down the long corridors, filling right to the high ceilings.

“So…now what?” Sallie asked.

“Class again.” Nemesis replied, beckoning them with a meaty hand. “C’mon, we should get back,” He stopped, spying Sallie’s expression darkened.

_God, this woman was just as bad as the big bro!_

“…What?” Nemesis muttered. Sallie’s eyes swiftly snapped to him, a cold determination in her expression.

“Let’s bunk it!”

Nemesis blinked, confused by the term.

“B-Bunk it…?”

“Fucking skip it!” Sallie reiterated, realizing she was being too British for the BOW. “I ain’t coming back in there with that bastard-” She trailed off, feeling the soles of her boots rumble beneath her. A nearby dead houseplant shivered at the miniature earthquakes of footsteps, which grew in intensity. That was when Tish, Nemesis and Mr X felt the rumbles too, recognising it as the approaching footsteps of those enormous Tyrants.

_Speak of the devil…_

And then, Sallie finished her comment in an acidic groan. “…tyrant.”

“Come on! Let’s get out of here!” Tish shouted, pointing towards the direction that would most likely be the path  _away_  from the approaching Elite Tyrants. She figured they could find a path to escape, or a fence they could climb over and run into the surrounding land? Maybe hit up the little town they’d passed on the way there.

Anything to escape them!

“I’m going!” Sallie cried out, already making a run for it down the corridor. “Math can fuck off!”

“Uh, actually it’s history-!” Nemesis shouted back, rushing after her along with Mr X and Tish.

“That can fuck off too!”

Shoulder-barging into the nearest door, Sallie found herself outside. The sun was surprisingly bright but held no warmth. It didn’t matter anyway. She’d rather freeze than to tolerate with 069. The fence that lined the perimeter was made of a tall brick wall, reels of barbwire along the tops, stone-cold grey, which towered just as high as the Elite Tyrants. Like a prison.

Sallie leapt onto the wall, quickly sliding down the side of it as she attempted to climb it. But no avail. Nemesis watched in amusement as the small human scrambled at the wall. Then, he grabbed her shoulder, pulling her away from the wall.

“Allow me,” He offered, and with a firm push of his burly shoulder, he barged into the wall effortlessly, creating a Nemesis-shaped hole in its wake. “Problem solved!” He exclaimed proudly; hearing Tish laugh aloud.

“Brilliant!” She cried out, passing easily through his make-shift gate. “That’s using your head!”

“Literally!” Sallie agreed, following Tish, Mr X looming behind her. He followed close but did not stop on the other side of the fence. Sallie turned to him, seeing him taking the lead. “Mr X?”

Mr X indicated with a point towards a partially hidden path through the trees that nestled on the hillside. He looked agitated, clearly trying to get them to hide. That was a good point. The Elite Tyrants were fucking huge, impossibly tall security cameras. Running away from them in plain sight would be a dangerous move.

“You know a place?” Nemesis questioned, a little baffled to find his older brother nodding.

_Where was he going?_

“Who wants to go for a nice hike?” Tish asked, already starting for the dreary little trail though the tress.

“Let’s go,” Sallie agreed, hurrying behind Mr X and following him. Mr X kept a persistent pace, and Nemesis didn’t allow anyone to lag. Their feet brushed against the forest floor, dries leaves crunching in a light, crisp against their feet as they passed countless tall, smooth tree-trunks. It was strangely peaceful, considering the situation they were in.

“So, this is ‘bunking’,” Nemesis grumbled after a while, sighing deeply. “I didn’t realise it was another word for Sports.”

“Shut it and go,” Sallie called out further ahead, glancing over her shoulder. “I’d normally wouldn’t skip class but right now, I think our lives are at stake.”

“And your anus!” Nemesis grinned. He caught a fiery glare from Tish, and he gave her a mock-innocent shrug. “What?! It’s true. That tall bastard must really like her!”

“I’d like him more if he fucked off,” Sallie hissed.

“Agreed,” Tish spoke, rather grumpily. “Let’s hope he gets his dick caught in a meat grinder because he was too stupid to put it away.” She couldn’t believe someone would make a Tyrant with such a deficient personality.

Mr X led them a short way to a little clearing. Here were patches of sporadic grass, lined with short, squat logs that had been fashioned into seats. He sank down onto one of them and smiled gently.  

Tish stopped, admiring his little hidden getaway. “Oh, you come here often?”

Mr X nodded.

“This is…really sweet,” Sallie wasn’t too sure if that was the right word. She rarely had the time to stop and appreciate anything like this before. It was always a constant barrage of fighting and alertness. She found it very hard to relax. But here, she felt something leaving her, a weight lifted off her shoulders. She exhaled deeply, sitting onto one of the nearby stumps. “Peaceful…” She closed her eyes, inhaling the cool, fresh air around her. This was pleasant.

Of course, Nemesis disagreed. He snorted, scrutinizing his surroundings bitterly.

“Pfft! So, this is your hiding space?” He grumbled, a little disgusted. Despite this, he sank down onto a log heavily, glaring at the dried grass and patches of dead leaves. His comment was ignored, easily brushed off by Sallie’s more pressing concern.

“Those Tyrants…the Elites,” Sallie’s brows furrowed, facing Mr X. “Are they always like this?”

Mr X nodded, his expression a mixture of discomfort and fury.

“Oh, that’s horrible,” Tish turned to Nemesis, her eyes curious. “Do they give everyone such a hard time? Are they like special brew or something?” She had known this elitist mentality before; people who would subjectively gatekeep things they didn’t want invaded by people different from themselves. The sense of control ravishing them and becoming their new personalities, like a ghost possessing one’s body.

To her dismay, Nemesis nodded.

“Yeah…they’re  _Elites_. They are naturally more powerful than most of us. Even with me as the President, I can’t-”

Rudely, Sallie howled laughing, grabbing her stomach to try to stop it, but couldn’t.

“Wah! Wait, wait!  _You’re_  the President?!” Her words were tangled with the irrepressible laughter, Nemesis just about understood her. He glared at her, slightly exasperated.

“Yeah…” Nemesis then hung his head slightly. That was when Sallie abruptly calmed down, noticing the change.

Tish leaned down closer; her face painted in concern.

“Aren’t you supposed to do something about this?” Tish asked. Nemesis paused, then:

“I can’t,” He spied Sallie’s disgust and spoke again, a little quickly before being judged. “It’s stupid, I know! No one really cares here. Besides…” He protested reluctantly. “They’re friends…”

“’Friends’?” Sallie said sarcastically, her fingers posed as quotation-marks.

“They’re the Alpha-Males,”

That was far more painful for him to admit than he realised. He wanted to hide that fact, but there was no point now. They all knew it. Despite his overbearing personality, Nemesis wasn’t the Alpha. That bastard 069 was. He controlled what happened and who hurts who. Come to think of it, even as Umbrella’s Golden-Tyrant and President, Nemesis was still overshadowed by this Elite Tyrant who was created  _way_  later than he was!

The group fell into a grave silence for a time, mulling over what had just been said.

Then Sallie began to giggle. Rather darkly.

“What’s so funny?” Nemesis murmured, assuming she found his predicament amusing. But he was wrong.

“Alpha males, sure,” Sallie said, sardonic. Nemesis watched her. It was then he could tell that the small woman was thinking of something else and looked at him, her eyes full of determination. Something about that gaze worried Nemesis. “But do they not realise that the female is far more deadly than the male?”

Mr X watched Sallie intensely, really enjoying her fire and determination. It was unheard of from humans. Such a small female of pure wrath and willpower.  _Endearing!_   

His brother thought otherwise.

Nemesis snorted again, rolling his eye.

“Foolish quote,”

“No, it’s true.” Tish piped up next to him. Nemesis felt betrayed to find that Tish supported Sallie. Regardless of his reaction, Tish continued. “I think we can take them down. We just need the right information on them. People are letting them run riot because they’re big and tough, but if we got them thrown out of the School, they’d be nothing!” She said decisively. She was already considering trying to hack their computers or planting a camera on them somehow. She was certain they were all there through fraudulent means, and she was determined to figure it out.

Nemesis slowly tilted his head at her, considering it.

“You’re a clever cookie, huh?” He had to admit; he didn’t think of that.

“Yes!” Sallie interjected in, a little too excitingly. “While I’d love to attack head-on like in the force…one thing I  _did_ learn from it…” She sighed heavily. “If the enemy is bigger than you, reconsider your plan. Running at them isn’t going to work. They have the upper-hand.” Her eyes widened in realization, and she drew breath to speak again.

“You can’t have weapons either,” Nemesis grumbled before Sallie could finish, watching her fume and fold her arms in disappointment. He recalled his own rocket launcher being confiscated on the first day. “Yet those fuckers have fists as big as fucking boulders!”

Sallie stood up suddenly, clapping her hands together as another military plan formed.

“Ah, but we don’t  _need_  weapons! We need smarts!” She then casually pointed at Nemesis. “So that’s you out of the equation.”

Nemesis heaved an irritated sigh, restraining back the urge to punch the back of her knees to force her to the floor.

“Fucking…” He waved his arms frantically in surrender. “Now even the new bloods are picking on me!”

Tish placed a hand on his arm, calming the BOW quickly.

“We might need your position as President to help us. Once we find something, we’ll need to humiliate them by projecting it to the whole school. Even a villain like Wesker can’t deny something so public.” Tish knew Wesker was cunning and wouldn’t accept anything other than overwhelming public opinion. No doubt there were investors that would take back their money if a big enough scandal was revealed. “Or, fuck it, we could invent something about them!” Tish added, shrugging.

Mr X smiled a little, clearly taken with the idea of expelling the Alpha Tyrants from the University. But this would be difficult. They were all aware of this.

“But surely we can get some dirt on them,” Sallie said, rubbing her chin. “We don’t know much about them right now.”

Nemesis snapped his fingers as he suddenly stood up.

“I GOT IT!” His roar startled the group, and Sallie barely contained herself when Nemesis faced her, snatching her arms and shaking her. “069  _really_  like you! If you start dating him, he may expose his deadly secrets to you!” Sallie’s face blanched in horror as Nemesis posed as feminine as possible, placing a hand on his hip, the other tucked behind his head and wiggled his hips. “Use your womanly charms on him! Seduce him!”

“I’d rather die!” Sallie snapped. Mr X mirrored Sallie’s disgust, a little shamed of Nemesis’s ridiculous idea.

Tish rolled her eyes, not amused with Nemesis’ input to the situation.

“Why is that the first thing men always think of? If Sallie started randomly coming onto him, don’t you think even a dickhead like him would notice?” She asked flatly, shutting Nemesis up. What they needed was surveillance. Maybe one of them was stupid enough to spill their secrets, if separate from the group? It was extreme, but not impossible. “What about that tutor program? None of them look academically gifted. I could join the tutor program, get paired with one of the Elites and start a conversation. Maybe if given enough time, the idiot of the group will spill all sorts of secret.” She suggested, rubbing her hands together as she waited for some feedback.

Mr X touched his chin in a thoughtful gesture, his eyes focusing on the floor.

“That’s not such a bad idea, actually,” Sallie replied after a time. “Plus, they’re onto me in a sense. If I were to do it, it’d be a bit suspicious…” She gave Tish a firm gaze. “But…I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“If they touch her, I’ll kill them!” Nemesis burst out quickly, punching a fist at his chest as if a sign of his strength. He stalled at their stares, realising what he had said, and quickly corrected himself. “I wanna kill them. For fun, of course.”

Tish cast a glance at Nemesis.

“Oh, if you want to be my bodyguard, you’re more than welcome.” She winked, surprising both Nemesis  _and_  Mr X. Nemesis gave Sallie a quick look before turning back to Tish, lowering his voice so that only he and Tish could hear.

“I’d be honoured, but your friend is scary…”

Sallie was too busy thinking to figure out what Nemesis said. She scratched at her neck briefly, her eyes searching the earthy floor.

“We have bigger problems at hand, though.” Sallie pointed out; her voice now grave. Then, in defeat: “We’re not in class. What’s our excuse gonna be?”

They all went silent again, exchanging glances as they thought for a long moment.

“Perhaps we got sick from that coffee?” Tish thought out loud, seeing an approving glint in Sallie’s eyes. Good idea! Sallie was very glad to have Tish with her. Sallie was known for her brawn and pure anger-issues, while Tish actually  _has_  the brains for stuff like this. Besides… “We’re not used to it yet, after all. To cement this, we’ll need to see the nurse.” She stopped. “Do…do you have a nurse here?”

Nemesis opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Sallie, who unexpectedly looked playful.

“Mr X can be the nurse!” Sallie announced friskily, startling the poor, mute Tyrant out of his deep thoughts. She pressed herself against him, giving Mr X disturbingly exaggerated ‘ _Come-To-Bed’_ eyes. “ _Heelloooo Nurse!_  Wanna check me out?”

Mr X’s breathing became laboured, hard, his grey flesh now a soft blush of deep red, his entire posture rigid with shock. Sallie flustered him so badly, and she knew it, his delightful reaction making her laugh brightly.

Nemesis cleared his throat noisily, clearly not amused by such a display. Even if Mr X’s reaction was humorous.

“We do, actually. Dr Birkin,” He stopped for a moment, reconsidering what he was going to say next. “He’s a bit of a weirdo…”

“He sounds sexy,” Sallie muttered mockingly. She turned to Mr X and gave him a spirited grin, adoring his reaction. It looked so comical on such a daunting dark beast of a man.

“What, does he have  _too_  many eyeballs or something?” Tish asked, feigning surprise. “That’s just unheard of!” She couldn’t help snigger when Nemesis gave her a  _‘Are you fucking kidding me’_  glare. She enjoyed teasing him, she found. It was fun to see him frown and scowl, but she wanted to cheer up his grumpy face.

Eventually, she stood up, dusting herself off and turning to see Sallie grinning comically at Mr X, who remained seized in his posture. “If you two are quite finished?” She chuckled, watching Sallie step away from Mr X, allowing the Tyrant to cool off and calculate what had just happened.

“Yeah, maybe we should make way back before anyone catches us.” Sallie agreed, turning to see Mr X finally standing up, dwarfing her easily with his stocky height. “Mind if I use sanctuary if things get too much?”

A small smile, so delicate and sweet, appeared on Mr X’s face as he nodded with great enthusiasm. He even glanced around as if imagining where she might sit, or perhaps where they might sit together.

As the group gathered at the end of the trail they had walked down before, Tish observed the surrounding area to find no one.

“Should be safe. Let’s get back and tell the nurse…I mean, Birkin, that we were ill and that’s why we cut class.” She said, though she was already beginning to doubt anyone would believe them.

Sallie hummed for a time thoughtfully, her brows arching.

“We’ll have to convince him we were sick…”

“Paint your face grey, like Mr X!” Nemesis burst out, before getting a hot glare from both Mr X and Sallie.

“I’ll paint your face fucking red if you don’t stop it!” Sallie hissed, now getting annoyed by the small jabs Nemesis had been making to Mr X.

“We need to look the part without it being suspicious…” Tish reminded them, knowing that words weren’t going to be enough. That was when Nemesis grinned suddenly.

“I have an idea!”

Sallie glanced up to see Nemesis quickly shifting closer to her.

“Wha-!” She jolted violently to feel a sharp punch in the pit of her stomach. Nemesis’ swung his arm into the stomach of the small human, knocking the wind out of her lungs and she gagged, her mouth agape open in a choked scream. Very quickly, she collapsed onto the floor, gripping onto her stomach and grasping for air.

“Does that help?” Nemesis asked in excitement, quickly cowering to see the sickened reactions from Tish and Mr X. Mr X’s expression was piercingly dark, as Tish’s eyes flashed with intense fury, making Nemesis take an instinctive step back.

Sallie rolled on the floor, grunting.

“Bastard….it worked!” She whimpered, already feeling yesterday’s entire menu returning to her.

Hearing the human beneath him, Mr X leaned down, gently picking her up and gathering her back onto her feet, supporting her by holding her under the armpits, as if she was a ragdoll. With all of her strength taken from that sudden blow, it felt like she had no power anymore.

“You…ok?” Mr X asked softly, his glowing eyes focusing on her intensely.

“I…think so…” Sallie groaned, wincing at the pain that writhed from the punch, now surfacing from the numbing shock her body had be washed with. “Nemesis…your idea was fucking stupid…but it worked. I can already feel that coffee coming back up…”

Upon hearing this, Nemesis was very proud, looking at Tish eagerly as if searching for approval.

“See?! I’m not just a pretty face!” He announced proudly, flexing his arms a little before catching the heated glare from Tish, and he quickly recoiled. Maybe punching her friend wasn’t a good way to woo her… even if it did display his awesome strength. He chuckled nervously, as if doing so would soothe the fury that boiled in Tish’s eyes. “Uh…I won’t punch you…maybe a soft jab?” The fury did not leave Tish’s eyes, and Nemesis began to sweat.

“If you touch me, I’m going to end you in so many horrible ways.” She threatened, pointing to Sallie, who writhed against Mr X in agony, muttering explicit words to herself. “You have better apologise to Sallie too for that shit, you could have really hurt her!” Tish was furious, horrified that he’d do that. It was when they did things with such intense strength that she was reminded how weak she and Sallie were in comparison, and that was a daunting reminder.

“Um…” Nemesis stammered, finding it hard to impress her. Her expression remained unmoved. “Oh! Maybe I could make you throw up? Stick my finger down your-”

“Enough, Nemmy!” A choked command came from Sallie, leaning herself against Mr X for support as she gathered her strength. “Otherwise I’m gonna get sick for real.” She rubbed her forehead, trying to compose herself. “We should go now before we get killed. Or Nemesis dies.”

Tish’s acidic glare suggested that Nemesis was in serious danger of being horribly murdered, and it wasn’t shifting. She turned away from him, following Mr X’s lead as they made their way back through the trees, and returning to school-grounds. 


	6. Doctor Birkin

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 5: Doctor Birkin **

A zombie janitor was eyeing up the Nemesis-sized hole in the wall as the group stepped through it nonchalantly. The Janitor glared but let them pass by peacefully to their relief.

Everywhere was quiet; all the students were in class, after all.

“Time to get a sick note,” Tish said quietly, uncertainty thick in her voice. “Which way to the nurse’s office?”

Mr X gestures them to follow him, beginning to stride towards the main lobby, where the huge double doors were. He paused when he realised, he was walking too quickly, leaving the girls behind, and so he slowed his pace, waiting for Sallie in particular. She still didn’t look well, and he frowned at her worriedly.

The small human reflected a strong smirk, one that was obviously trying to ignore the pain. Sallie shuffled closer to Mr X, finding his presence more calming than when she first met him. She felt protected by him, and that was an unusual sensation for her. That she was the one being protected, and not protecting someone else. Someone else was exposing harm upon themselves for her, not the other way around.

Soon, they found the white steel doors that reminded Sallie of hospitals. Or more of a Laboratory, and she squirmed subtly in discomfort.

_Better get this out of the way…_

Sallie knocked on the door and waited. From behind the steel door, they heard the scooting of a chair followed by a grunting of frustration, and then someone dragging something very heavy across the room, irregular footsteps crept towards them.

Then the door slid upwards.

Sallie’s throat closed when she saw the massive hunk of what appeared to be an incredibly mutated human, a compilation of corroded bone, torn muscle, mutations and…bacon-like flesh? A large eye sat on his shoulder, scanning the surroundings madly as if going insane by anything.

Tish had to stifle a gasp of surprise, recognising the man. This was  _William_ Birkin? She’d recognised the name, of course, but never suspected the scientist would be here of all places! Adorn in a badly fitted white nurse outfit, the hunchback of mutation leaned over, his dislodged eyeballs all targeting onto her.

“Yes?” He murmured. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I-I don’t feel well,” Sallie replied lowly.

Birkin eyed her closely. Tish was waiting for him to order them back to their class. But then, he sighed and stepped aside.

“Come in,”

Tish lunged forward.

“I don’t feel well, either! I-uh…need some painkillers!” She announced meekly.

Birkin turned to Tish doubtfully, the large eye in his shoulder swivelling around to focus on her.

“What’s the matter?” He demanded gruffly.

Tish took a deep breath, shakily.

“I’m on my period right now, and I am entitled to pain relief.” She said sternly.

Nemesis nudged Mr X behind them, whispering to his older brother.

“Makes sense why she’s so cranky with me.” Nemesis was surprised to find the corner of Mr X’s lips tugging into a slight smirk, but it was short-lived when Sallie kicked backwards, the heel of her boot hitting Nemesis’ shin and he emitted a hiss of ache.

Birkin’s face immediately switched from apathy to discomfort and ushered them both inside. When Nemesis and Mr X tried to follow, Birkin blocked them.

“You two can wait outside.” He said flatly and slammed the door in their dumbfounded faces.

Tish’s eyes took in every detail of the spectacular room. It was a huge laboratory, hardly a nurse’s office, but then again, most of the students were enormous BOWs. She felt Sallie stir unnervingly beside her. There was something simply unsettling about him. Even with that pathetic skimpy white attire he tried to wear, it didn’t help them.

Silently, they followed him to the centre of the Lab, pointing at the operation table without facing her. “Sit.” He commanded.

Sallie eyed the table, not wishing to sit on it at all. The surface was splashed with old, dead blood and flanks of flesh, as if a creature had been experimented on it recently. Standing beside the table reluctantly, Sallie looked at Birkin, who was idling around the Lab in disregard, obviously not caring about the students.

“So, uhh…I had some coffee, and my stomach is turning. I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

_Yeah, from that fucking punch!_

Birkin looked at her in disinterest, already had assumed the excuse was stupid and pathetic.

“Fine.” He grumbled, approaching a small cabinet. He glanced at Tish briefly. “And period pains, huh? I didn’t realise BOWs had such problems,”

“Uh, actually, if you haven’t noticed, Nurse, we’re human,”

Sallie’s statement seemed to have done something to the mutated nurse. Birkin rounded on them in genuine surprise, his yellow, pallid eyes wide and crazed.

“ _You_  are the humans?” He demanded. “I thought you’d be…” His voice trailed off as he seemed to consider something at great length. He then shook his head, rifling through the cabinet loudly. “Well, let’s get you both some medicine!” He said, suddenly cheerful. Tish glanced worriedly at Sallie, finding his change in personality a little disturbing. What in the absolute  _fuck_  was going on here? Birkin’s mood had changed on a dime!

When he spun around, he held two giant syringes. “So, let’s see those arms!” Birkin said optimistically, watching Tish shakily come forward, rolling her sleeve up and presenting her arm to him.

Tish wasn’t afraid of needles, but this one was abnormally long. Sallie became instantaneously defensive. Not only did Birkin’s change in nature was an immediate red flag but needles…

Something about the pointed tip shot a white-hot hurt through the back of her head, an image coming to mind-

Promptly, Sallie slapped Tish’s arm away, quickly standing between them.

“Dr. Birkin, look, we’re humans. Yes. But we’re just a little sick. I don’t think we…need  _that_ ,” She pointed at the needle, feeling an unearthly urge to get away from it, something was telling her,  _screaming_  at her, to flee away from it as far as possible. She knew what it was going to do to her-! “Periods aren’t fucking diseases, and I’d rather throw up in class!”

Birkin’s enthusiastic smile faltered slightly, considering her comment for a second. Humans loved to be healed, right? No matter the cost.

“Well, why not I just give you this anyway?” He beckoned the needles eagerly. “It’ll keep you fit, and you’ll feel  _much_  better!”

“Can’t I just have a fucking sick note or something, please?” Sallie said stubbornly. “I think water and some rest will do me fine.” Her eyes focused on Birkin, hoping her dark glare would push the school nurse down a bit. But he didn’t seem to be regarding Sallie as carefully as she was to him. In fact, he seemed rather intense on Tish. And it appeared that Tish was aware of this too, wilting under his intense stare. There was no way he could possibly recognise her from her past; they’d never met a single time. She knew of him, of course, she knew what he’d been doing, and it terrified her. His horrifying visage was a permanent reminder of the kinds of experiments he liked to perform.

Tish moved closer to Sallie, seeking strength from her presence.

“All I need is two paracetamols and a sick note.” Tish said, her voice trembling. She observed the needles carefully. That’s when it struck her. Both enormous syringes were, in fact, empty. He was planning to take samples, not to administer medicine. “We need to be going.” She insisted then. “Those two waiting outside sometimes get very…impatient.”

This threat seemed to anger Birkin, as his lumpy brow dropped low again. But he relented, palming a couple of tablets to Tish and hurriedly scribbled out two notes for them.

“Make sure you see Wesker about this too…” Birkin stated, his previous elation now gone and had resumed back to his bitterness. “He’ll need to put the notes on your records.” He handed the notes to them.

“We will!” Tish said quickly, the pills still nestled in her hand. She turned to the door quickly, attempting to reach the door handle.

“Hold it!” Birkin’s demand halted the girls for a moment. Slowly, they both turned back to Birkin, who was lumbering towards them again. He was empty-handed, thankfully, but his overbearing presence was starting to rub against them coldly, intimidatingly. “I need to know your Homeroom tutor.”

“Huh?” Tish mewed.

“Your class, of course!” He pointed out sternly. “I need to let them know about this too.”

Sallie frowned. There was something a little discomforting about that, but she complied anyway. If any trouble came to their way, Sallie will surely defeat it. She was determined.

“Luis,” Sallie stated, ignoring the surprised glance at Tish. Sallie only complied in hopes it would coax the mad scientist away from them. “Is that everything?”

Birkin paused for a time, and then nodded once.

“Ah yes. Luis Sera…” He seemed to have quickly calmed down now, and then waved his hand at them dismissively. “Right, off you ladies go, then.” Before adding in a low voice: “I hope to see you soon.”

“Hope to see you never!” Sallie announced confidently, giving the nurse a quick salute and pushed Tish through the door quickly and into the hallway.

Then the door slid closed behind her.  
  


*

Further down the hall, Nemesis and Mr X waited. Hearing the door close, Nemesis looked up, pushing off from the wall he was leaning against and nudged Mr X out of his thoughtful daze.

“Hey, look! You girls look better already!” He said with that infectious grin. Though he took note of their expressions. Tish looked terrified, and Sallie looked disturbed, like she was having trouble containing herself, something was bothering her. Nemesis placed his fists on his hips and eyed Tish up. “That nurse works really well, huh?”

Tish couldn’t even raise a smile at Nemesis’s joke, instead she just wanted to be as far away from Birkin’s office as quickly as possible.

“Let’s go. He has given me a huge set of the creeps.” Tish insisted, pressing closer to Nemesis. The BOW blinked to feel her lean closer against him, and instinctively seized for a time, swiftly forgetting what he was doing. He had never experienced this before. He was a bit baffled by it but saw the apparent unease in her features. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him comfortingly before they started to make their way back to their homeroom.

Mr X watched Sallie carefully, and turned to her, leaning down close to her. He bent his finger under her chin and gently lifted her face to make her look at him, staring attentively into her eyes.

“You ok?” He asked, his voice coming out more confident than previously. Something about her was bringing him out of his shell.

Her eyes locked with him, and he could see something hidden behind them.

“Y-yeah, though that Nurse…” She stopped, glancing away. “He wasn’t exactly welcoming.” She quickly decided to change the subject, not liking the darkened thoughts that came to her whenever she thought of doctors…or needles… She held the piece of paper to Mr X, and he looked at it mutely. “We got the sicknotes, though.” She raised her voice so that Nemesis and Tish could heard her. “Right, let’s get our story straight: Tish and I were unwell, we didn’t know where the nurse’s office was, so you guys helped us here. If one of us gets into trouble, we  _all_  get into trouble.”

Nemesis shot an offended glare at Sallie.

“Hey, no fair!” He cried out.

“Oh shut it, Nemmy.” Came the unsympathetic reply.

“We have to all be in this together.” Tish nodded in agreement. “If you abandon us, you better watch your back for the rest of your life, Smiley.” She said firmly, pointing accusingly at the eight-foot monster.

Nemesis held his hands out, a mangled expression of fear creeping up on his features.

“Whoa, we’ve got a badass over here!” He muttered under his breath, not doubting Tish’s warning even the slightest. Sallie smirked, amused with Nemesis’s fright-filled obedience. For Umbrella’s Wonder-Boy, he was awfully submissive to Tish. That woman was full of surprises…

“You’re our friends now. This is our pact, deal with it!” Sallie announced. Mr X turned to Sallie suddenly.

“Friends?” He repeated fondly, having had so few of those in his life. It was why he hung out with his obnoxious brother.

Sallie smiled back, grabbing Mr X’s arm and giving it a brief hug.

“Friends.”


	7. The Elite Tyrant Basketball Team

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 6: The Elites Tyrant Basketball Team **

Luis’ class was surprisingly focused, listening to a paragraph he was reading out-loud. They were half-way through the lesson when the door opened, and all eyes flew to the direction, seeing the lumbering form of Nemesis first. Luis, to their surprise, gave a small smile of relief.

“Oh, thank goodness, you guys are okay,” Then he frowned. “Where have you been? You’re very late for class.”

“Tish and I weren’t feeling well, Luis. We’re sorry.” Sallie replied, merging through the doorway with Tish, Mr X imminent behind her like a mute shadow. “Nemesis and Mr X were helping us find the Nurse’s office…we didn’t know where it was.”

“Hmm, surely you were introduced to it by the Dean.” Luis folded his arms, cocking a brow.

“The Dean showed us fuck all.” Sallie grilled. Luis pondered for a time, but his thought process was changed when Tish and Sallie handed in their sicknotes. He knew Birkin’s awkward handwriting, so it didn’t take him long to know they were speaking the truth. To his knowledge, anyway.

“Please take your seats. Let me know next time, okay? I was worried.” Luis seemed to hold some form of compassion for the humans, though his voice still held a tone of severity.

The group scattered back to their seat. Sallie flashed Mr X a small smile in thanks before she leapt back into her huge seat again, returning to the worst place in the world. Already, 069 was lingering over her like an eager fanboy.

“The nurse’s office, huh?” The Elite Tyrant smoothly whispered; his voice lewd. “You should have asked me. I’d check you out any day.”

Sallie did not dignify his comment with a reaction.

Nemesis nudged Tish playfully as he passed her, giving her a wink of ‘You’re Welcome’ and slumped back into his seat, reclining back with his arms folded behind his head. Tish replied with pulling a silly face at Nemesis before she sat down, glad that they weren’t in too much trouble for their absence. Luis’s concern for their safety only made the creeping dread at the back of her mind stronger. What had he been so worried about? That perhaps they would have fallen afoul of other students…or professors? And there was this Birkin and Wesker problem to consider; she knew of them both. Knew what they did to humans for their own ends.

She glanced around at Nemesis briefly, who gave her a small, bizarrely charming, wave, his expression saying:  _What ‘cha want, silly?_  He must be a result of one of their experiments. She wondered if she needed to put her own bio-chemistry knowledge to use to help them in the future…

Tish stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to face Luis.

Luis cleared his throat and resumed his class.

To Sallie’s surprise, everything had settled back, flowing calmly without any hassle. Everyone focused, even 069. He didn’t bother her during the session. Perhaps, at last, he had grown bored of her.

_Thank fuck!_

The class went quicker, and soon the bell rang, announcing the end of the day for the students.

Sallie began to get out of her seat, taking her bag when she heard Luis clapping his hands together, trying to catch the attention of his students.

“Right, class dismissed!” He bellowed over the noise of scuttling chairs and heaving bodies. “Have fun at your after-class activity!”

Sallie suddenly froze.

“Aw, shite!” She hissed. She had forgotten about that gruelling thought. This is where she was going to get separated from her newfound friends. When her companions approached her, she looked wretchedly. “This is it.” 

Tish’s face crumpled in aghast.

“Oh shit, I have to go and draw some nude BOW, I’ll bet.” She moaned, recalling she had asked to join the art class. She remembered how Wesker had basically forced Sallie to take up sports, and wondered if this was for his own enjoyment, or if there was something else behind it. Tish glanced at Nemesis. “I don’t suppose you’re nude modelling for us today?” She asked with a grin.

Nemesis snickered, almost flirtatiously.

“Well, you’d enjoy drawing all of my curves, baby!” He announced proudly, but then heard Sallie snorting a laugh next to him.

“Anyone who’s drawing you butt naked might die.”

Nemesis suddenly turned to her, snarling.

“What are  _you_  doing?” He grilled. He was satisfied to see Sallie frown then, making it obvious she was not in Art-Class with Tish.

“Basketball.” Sallie murmured in a low voice, her shoulders dropping. That was when Nemesis’s grin disappeared.

“Oh…”

Sallie didn’t like it and stirred into a challenge.

“What?”

Nemesis turned away, waving his hand.

“Nothing. Nothing…”

“No, it’s clearly ‘Something, something.’” Sallie forced him to look at her. “What am I getting myself into?”

Mr X wrung his hands together nervously.

“069…captain of the team.” He said to spare his brother her wrath. He didn’t like the idea of Sallie being stuck with the Elite Tyrants all alone. Especially considering no one stopped 069 and his lackeys from doing anything they pleased. Then he considered the fact that everyone on that team was at least twice, if not,  _three_  times her size.

“Oh, for fuck sake, of course!” Tish groaned, slapping her palm onto her face in annoyance, offering Sallie a sympathetic look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Wesker planned this from the start.”

Sallie leaned back, tilting her head to the ceiling and emitting a lengthy, loud groan.

“For fuck saaaaakkkkkeeeee-!”

“Hey, it’s not all that bad!” Nemesis said, grabbing the interests of his circle of friends. Sallie looked at him, her eyes full of doubt.

“How?”

“You’re small!”

“Thanks, and you’re a cock.”

Nemesis shook his hands madly.

“No, no, no, no! I didn’t mean it as an insult! I meant it as if you can use that against them! To your advantage!”

Sallie blinked at him, before composing herself and looking at Nemesis levelly.

“Nemmy?”

“Yes?”

“How tall is 069?”

Nemesis thought for a second, tapping his chin with his index finger.

“About fourteen feet.”

“Okay. How long are his legs, compared to mine?”

Nemesis gave her a quick shrug.

“Well, pretty fucking long.”

“No doubt super strong too, huh?”

“That’s correct. I’ve seen them before!”

“Okay,” Sallie calmly clasped her hands together. “So fucking tell me how I can outrun such a beast like that.”

Nemesis opened his mouth to reply, stopped, and then he recoiled back, realising the answer to that question. Knowing that her point has gotten to him, Sallie shook her head. “Yeah, I thought so…”

“So…what are you going to do?” Nemesis asked, spying the confusion on Sallie’s features, as if he had asked her what kind of underwear she was wearing.

“Um, I’m gonna do it. Duh!”

All at once, Tish, Nemesis and Mr X stared at her. That was when Nemesis suddenly burst into an animated panic.

“What?! Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Do I  _look_  like I’m joking?”

“You’ll die!” Nemesis exclaimed urgently, snatching Sallie’s arms and shaking her madly. “069 is there! If you go there now, you can kiss your butt-virginity goodbye!”

Although Nemesis’s concern was…flattering, Sallie pouted, not amused.

“I’ve been in the army before. I’ll be okay.” She was trying to convince herself but finding it difficult to do so. Beside her, Mr X was still wringing his hands nervously. He really didn’t want to leave her alone with those cretins. Tish couldn’t think of anything to say to reassure her.

“Hopefully you have a decent coach,” Tish forced a smile. “Maybe they’ll take it easy on you?” She wasn’t surprised when no one looked convinced. She glanced around to find the hallways now filtering out into a quiet again. “I suppose we better get going, huh? Don’t want to be late again.” That was true. Tish didn’t want to get another permission slip to avoid severe punishment. At this point, she was ready for all the detention they could dish out if it meant she never had to be around Birkin again.

Sallie was reluctant, but knew she was right.

“Fine…”

“Well, you’re taking art, huh?” Nemesis asked Tish. The small human barely had time to answer when she felt Nemesis suddenly linking his arm with hers, scooping her up and began to walk her down the hallway. “Here, I shall take you!” And before anything could be said, Nemesis had taken Tish down the hallway, cunningly leaving Sallie and Mr X alone.

_Here you go, Big bro. This one’s on me!_

Sallie and Mr X stared, hearing Nemesis’s boom of a voice echo down the hallway as he took Tish to the right direction, turning around the corner, and they were gone. A small laugh left Sallie, turning back to Mr X, and seemed to have softened in his presence.

“So, what are you doing?” She turned on her boots and began to make her way down the hallway, assuming the passage towards the Gymnasium, her trench-coat creaked at her movement, complimenting the groans from Mr X’s overcoat. Mr X followed closely.

“I walk with you.” He said in a soft gruff, enjoying being alone with her. He felt more confident, more connected, in trying to talk to her. Having Nemesis around him often ruined his mood, he would be mocked for mistakes he made whenever he attempted to talk, but then mocked for his silence.

“I would like that.” Sallie replied, following his lead. The silence between them was comfortable and calming, but Sallie couldn’t help noticing something about Mr X. He looked deep in thoughts, his brows furrowing. He was usually like this. But deep down, she knew what he was thinking. Noticing his concern for her safety, Sallie patted his arm. “Hey, I’ll be okay. Trust me.” Then a gentle nudge. “If they do anything to me, be prepared to see a nasty Sallie.” She flashed a grin at him, and the smile lifted Mr X’s smile along with it. The small woman pondered about what else to say, it had nothing to do with the calming silence between them. She just wanted to get to know Mr X more, now that his pain-in-the-ass brother wasn’t there. “So…uh…” She stumbled on her words, finding that she had no such script for such a situation. Why was it suddenly very hard to talk to him? Her heart was thrashing against her ribs and it distracted her. “Y’know, you’re really sweet for a BOW, I like you.”

_Stupid. Fucking stupid!_

She found herself astonished to see Mr X smiling slightly at the comment.

“Thanks.” He replied in a low voice, his pale skin warming up a shade. “I like too.” He pointed at her. He had met few humans and hardly any of them had been kind to him. They’re constant instinct was to attack at him, to call him horrible names, to shoot of his fedora-

That thought left an inkling of bitterness in his body, and so he focused on the small woman beside him. Sallie was very different. She didn’t speak to him differently, or assume he was slow and stupid. He knew he had to get to know her. She seemed remarkably amazing for a human. “Why are you…here?” He asked gradually. He instantly noticed her hesitation as she searched for the words. It looked like she was contemplating whether to talk to him honestly. He could trust her. He only hoped that she trusted him.

“Mine and Tish’s application got an error, and we were accepted here. For some reason, it was never rectified. But…” She faltered, feeling Mr X’s eyes watch her almost endearingly, patiently waiting for her. “I cannot help but feel as if this was on purpose. Like, there is way more to it than what we know. I think that Wesker guy has something to do with it. When we questioned him about it, he seemed rather sketchy and never really gave us a proper answer. If anything, he just gave us more questions.”

The towering Tyrant’s face was etched with concern. He knew from experience how tricky Wesker was. He was well-known for his double-dealings beyond the school. He had hoped that Wesker didn’t have anything horrible planned for her. Mr X tried to smile at Sallie.

“Hope not.”

It was then they arrived at the gymnasium shortly after. It was as if the building had been on fire before and was never refurbished. The walls a blackened shade of burn, wood crumbling and small holes in the walls allowed streams of natural light inside the hallway. Above them was what was supposed to be a glass ceiling, but many of the segments had been smashed, several shattered holes dotted the glass canopy. Mr X’s smile had dropped significantly, resuming back to his stern, unmoved expression. He didn’t want to see 069 again any time soon. But this was the Elite Tyrants’ territory. The hasty compelling urge to sweep Sallie off her feet and running away with her was becoming excruciating, but he knew he can’t just do that. Seeing that fire of determination told him she believed in herself so much, and somehow, he couldn’t bear the thought of just taking that away from her.

The small woman seemed to have felt the restlessness ebbing off her sturdy, broad T-103 friend. She turned to him, tilting her head up to meet his strict gaze. He seemed to be scanning for any sign of the Elite Tyrants. There it was again, the sense of being looked out for, and not looking out for others.

It was…strangely a relief. Like a concerned monster of a boyfriend trying to protect his tiny, innocent girlfriend. Cute.

_PFFT! Innocent!_

“Hey,” She called him softly, making Mr X look down at her. She admired those bright-white halos for irises, how it contrasted sharply against the dull grey of his eyes. Hypnotic, almost. She cupped his huge hands, his leather clad fingers massive in her own tiny fingers, feeling the leather of her fingerless gloves rubbing ever so subtly. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She reassured him, before pulling his hands down in a gentle tug, encouraging him to lean closer when she dropped her voice into a whisper. “I’d like to hang out with you again. Hopefully alone.” She flashed him a grin. “I like the peace.”

The Tyrant felt his cold cheeks heat up more, the blush growing more powerful.

“Can I…come see? No club.” He asked hopefully. Mr X did actually have a club, but he hadn’t attended it in the many weeks because it interested him about as much as 069’s bathroom habits did. Not an awful lot. He’d much rather watch over Sallie, seeing how she handled the squad of moronic Tyrants, offering help whenever she needed it. He was wishing, so  _hard_ , with all his might that she’d be okay with him seeing her first practise.

So when Sallie flashed him a coy smirk, he was relieved.

“Sure thing. Y’know,” Her gaze fell to his hands, admiring the size of them. What strength was held behind those leather gloves; the thickness of his fingers compared to her own. He dwarfed her so easily with his stature, and it weirdly left her giddy at the sight of it. Her dark blue eyes lifted finally, looking at Mr X to find him alarmingly closer to her, deeply staring back. “I think I need the company and the support more than anything-”

“HEY BOSS!” A voice boomed across the gym, shuddering any loose planks at the bass of the voice. A frightening wave of ice claimed Sallie to realise who would own such a voice. They turned to the source of the voice, seeing one of the Elite Tyrants merging from a tall doorway, which Sallie assumed led to the male locker rooms. Mr X snarled to see it was Elite Tyrant 071 beckoning for his leader’s attention, squealing like the little obedient sidekick he was. He was one of the weaker Elite Tyrants, and 069 would have easily taken him out if he wasn’t such a good little lackey. It was then more of the Elite Tyrants began to cluster out of the doorway, all eyes locked onto the tiny woman the instant they came into sight.

Another Elite Tyrant, 073, snorted a disgusting laugh.

“T-00 IS FLIRTING WITH YOUR MEAT!”

A horrible shiver ran up Sallie’s spine when she heard that. Meat? Fucking  _Meat?!_

That thought left her feeling a fire burning inside of her again. Oh, if 069 wants fucking meat, she was going tease him with it. She’d be the best damn steak in the world and the stupid bastard will never  _ever_  get to try her.

Finally, the boss Elite Tyrant entered the gymnasium, cupping a large basketball in the palm of his strong, huge hand. Like an aggressive predator, his eyes found that his lackey was not mistaken. Sallie was standing there, standing beside that bastard T-103!

 _What is with that runt following her around? What, did she have this fucking G-Virus or something? She’s_ my _prey!_

Upon seeing this, 069’s face scowled into thunderous hostility.

“T-00 can’t flirt ‘cause he can’t even talk!” He growled aggressively, spinning the huge basketball on his finger. He posed it as casual, as if trying to impress the small female. Then a nasty smile stretched his lips. “Hey Sallie. You here to watch like a good little girlfriend?” He sneered horribly, taunting her. He loved seeing her mad. It was almost like an aphrodisiac to him. The Elite Tyrants all laughed on cue, and the sudden barrage of insults left Sallie and Mr X furious.

After a moment, Sallie gripped onto the collar of her heavy trench-coat, pulling it off her shoulders and revealed her pale arms, taut with small yet hard muscles that had been clearly created through many years of exhausting hardships, battles and workouts. Thin lines of scars marked her flesh. She was not a cat-walk model, she was aware of this, but her scars were reminders of who she was, always a cold yet valuable prompt that she was a warrior, and not a damsel in distress. These scars were her trophies, warnings to her enemies.

069 made a lewd grunt of interest, eyeing her bare arms dirtily, finding her black shirt  _too_  distracting. It took him a moment to realise that she wasn’t wearing a simple shirt. It seemed to be some sort of army-attire, a black leotard that were used as an undershirt. He bit his lower lip hard, making no effort in hiding his filthy, suggestive stare. Even some of the other Elites Tyrant stared. That shirt was on  _tight!_

“Hey boss! She took her trench-coat off! She means business!” One of his Elite brothers sneered as they gathered around him, forming their typical gang together.

“What she gonna do?  _Strangle_  you?” Another one jeered, joining in the cruel banter between his fellow Tyrants. “Ha! Not with those tiny hands!”

069 chuckled, a low, disgusting rumble that left his throat sickly.

“She can strangle my fucking cock when I’m done with her. It’ll be like one of those fucking Hentais!”

The Elite Tyrants burst out laughing at the mocking image of a defeated, submissive Sallie beneath a victorious, and probably naked, 069.

The comments were more repulsive that Sallie had expected, feeling her stomach churn in horror. She felt Mr X’s chest swell beneath his leathery overcoat in enragement, a primitive growl rising to his throat, and took a strong step forward, but immediately halted when he felt Sallie’s arm holding him back. She quickly shot a firm glance at Mr X.

“They’re trying to get a reaction. Ignore them. I’ll be fine. I promise.” She winked at him, offering her trench-coat to him. “Just keep your distance from them. Remember, I’m a big girl.” Mr X’s expression deepened, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. But unwillingly, he took her trench-coat. “Trust me.” She insisted in a small whisper, tapping his nose. She spun on the heels of her boots and approached the Elite Tyrants.

Left feeling distressed, Mr X decided to trust her, reluctantly going to the greyish-white bleachers and sat down on it heavily, cradling the tiny trench-coat in his arms as if it was precious cargo. He noticed a couple of other students sitting nearby, dotting the benches with their friends and stirred in interest to see a small being approaching the Elite Tyrant basketball team, obviously killing some time before heading back to their dorms. Mr X was worried about her, so very much. But he felt he could trust her in this. She wasn’t helpless at all. She can handle this!

_Yes, she can!_

From the bleachers, he watched Sallie approaching the Elite Tyrants.

“Actually, handsome. I’m not here to watch.” She spat, craning her neck so that she could meet his eyes. “I’m here to join the team.”

069 burst into cruel laughter.

“What?  _Our_  team?” He suddenly squatted, the movement a little too sudden for Sallie to be prepared, and she flinched slightly as he leaned close to her. He slammed the ball beside her, as if proving the point of her size. Of course, naturally, the basketball was half her height! “Look at you, firecracker! You’re, like, three inches tall. The ball will squash you if one of us throws it!” He shot up straight quickly, his laugh becoming a very unattractive snort. His Elite brothers followed suit immediately, laughing on cue to back up their leader.

“You’d be very surprised what small things can do; you should know!” She chortled, trying to suppress the growing temper. She grabbed her hips and stood firmly before him, trying to hide all signs of weakness to the towering Tyrant team. “Besides, you’re the Team Captain, correct?” She tilted her head. “You should be a man and guide me.”

To her surprise, she heard a giggle from behind 069, and noticed the other Elite Tyrants glaring at the smaller one. It was 071 who couldn’t help chuckle under his breath, secretly adoring her come backs, but he flinched under the scorching glares of his other fellow Tyrants, protecting him from the wrath of their leader. 069, however, seemed to have ignored it.

069 felt rage building in his chest. He gripped the ball between his massive hands tightly, grinding his palms into the thick rubber, gritting his teeth. He was going to teach her a lesson if it was the last thing he ever did!

“Oh yeah? Think fast then!” He yelled, launching the ball at her with all his strength, firing it at such a speed that Sallie barely had time to mutter an oath of surprise. Without thinking, Sallie dived to one side, feeling the force behind the throw as the ball whistled past her narrowly, slamming into the floor where she had been standing merely seconds ago. Seeing how she avoided it, she piped up a victorious laugh.

“Ha! You missed!” But just as she spoke too soon, the ball bounced against the wall just behind her, colliding into her harshly and she shouted in shock. The terrible force of the shot sent the small woman sprawling forward into 069’s leg, her head colliding painfully into his knee. Horrified by the sudden assault, 069 gave out a girlish screen and hopped backwards. His Elite Tyrant friends all clustered around him, not knowing what to do. Finally, 069 turned to glare at her as she was picking herself up, mirroring his hateful glare.

“You did that on purpose!” He bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at Sallie, storming towards her. “I’m going to-” He started but stopped when his attention was grabbed by a sound coming from the bleachers.

It was laughter. Loud, booming laughter.

They all looked up to see that the noise was coming from Mr X. He was roaring with joy, slapping his knee and barely able to breath, rubbing the tip of her gloved finger into the corner of his eyes to stop the thrilled tears from falling.

The Elite Tyrants gawked at the T-103 in mute horror, while Sallie was trying hard not to laugh too. The laugh was contagious, her heart fluttering madly at such a sound. It wasn’t as sweet as a child’s laugh, it was booming, frightening and aggressive almost, but she noted the edge of delight to his laugh, and it sounded strangely endearing. She barely managed to hold down her snigger, covering her tightening smirk with her fingers in hope that 069 didn’t notice.

At this point now, 069 was incensed; he couldn’t believe that freak was laughing at him! He stomped his foot onto the ground, an ear-splitting shockwave of vigour blasted through the gym, silencing everything around them. “Shut your mouth or I’ll fucking shut it for you!” He began to roar, but luckily the team coach had arrived, and began to immediately restore order by blowing onto his whistle to gather all their attention. Sallie winced in discomfort to find that the team coach was, in fact, a zombie wearing uncomfortably small red shorts. He shambled over, gurgling loudly at 069. The Elite Tyrant seemed to have understood but was reluctant. “He’s not worth my time, anyway.” He grumbled, suddenly turning away and approached the gathering team. They began to mutter something in-between each other, and Sallie tried to eavesdrop, but the zombie coach walked to Sallie. He seemed to speak to her, but only could form various groans and cries of pain instead of sentences. Sallie stared blankly, trying to understand what the coach was saying. For a time, she frantically searched for any source of English to his rambles. But found none and began to stir in a sense of uncertainty. It was as if she was listening to an entirely different language, leaving her dumbfounded. Everyone seemed to understand him but herself. When he was waiting for a response, she dumbly replied:

“Uh… _yes!_ ” She had no idea what he said, but her enthusiastic nodding seemed to be enough to convince the coach she wasn’t clueless.

Coach nodded, moaning abruptly as he tried to blow his whistle but not being able to. The sparse amounts of students began to watch the practise, intrigued in how the new member would be able to succeed in this. Her height and stature were laughable, even for a human. But her willpower would surely entertain them enough. Very quickly it was going to be brought down horribly and plummet her self-esteem. It was plainly obvious. The Elite Tyrants were renown for being cruel and merciless to their prey, even if said prey was on their side. Mr X’s fingers gripped into Sallie’s trench-coat tightly, catching a small scent of her from it.

The players spread out across the court and began to pass the ball back and forth. The ground beneath Sallie’s boots thundered ever so brutally it was a little difficult to get her footing correct without stumbling onto the floor, the harsh tremors making it tough for her to concentrate. Each footfall was like a canon shooting right beside her,  _constant_ , the ripples of heavy boots jittering through her body, forming in the soles of her feet and right up to her shoulders and head. Despite this, Sallie leapt into action, recalling the rules of the sport and tactics as if it were instinct. Besides, she had loved playing it back in the forces, so just because the players were taller did  _not_  mean she would fail.

Failure is  _not_  an option!

The first thing she instantly knew was that the Elite Tyrants were already breaking the rules. They ran with the ball clasped in their hands, holding it hostage from anyone, mainly Sallie. No, this wasn’t right! Perhaps they were playing dirty!

_So be it…_

She rushed towards 069, judging that the ball was going to be thrown at him. He caught it quickly and noticed Sallie nearby, ready. He refused to pass it to her, seeing her as inferior.

“Seriously, are you listening to Coach? Get in position!” He complained, seeing Sallie destroying their distinctive layout. It appeared she was unwilling to do as she was told. Fucking typical… she really  _was_  trying to piss him off!

From the edge of the court, Coach groaned noisily, gesturing madly at the court. She decided to not listen to her Team Captain, refusing to acknowledge him for a moment. Coach whistled again, a pathetic squeal emitting from the dinted tin instrument. 069 threw the ball, emitting another shockwave of power through the shuddering floor and 072 caught it, his nasty sneer aimed at Sallie. She was already struggling with the floor becoming a constant earthquake. Humans were so pathetically weak.

“You want it?” 072 jeered, suddenly swinging his arm and rolled the basketball towards the rushing human as if it was a bowling ball. Another rule broken. Despite this, Sallie was eager,  _so_  eager to prove these morons wrong. She opened her arms, bracing herself for impact. This wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

“I got it-!” But it then came to her that the basketball was approaching her at such a frightening speed, slamming into her with an energy that forced her to skid across the floor, the balls of her feet trying to halt the momentum of the basketball. But the floor gave in easily against her boots, and she quickly slipped onto the floor with the ball, passing between the legs of 069 and almost lunging into the bleachers.

The students from the bleachers winced in pain at the impact of her crash, feeling the definite thud of her body clashing into the bleachers. But they all craned their heads forward to find her getting up promptly, her eyes hard with determination. She was holding the ball. “Bastards! I-!”

069 was suddenly above her, and her words choked in her throat, watching his predatorial leer holding her down. His face a darkened mask of fierceness and he bent down to snatch the ball from the small woman. Sallie yanked the ball from his grabbing hands. “What the hell are you doing? Coach is calling the plays! Are you even listening to him?” He demanded furiously, his hands madly snatching at her. He was taking her performance as a personal insult now.

Coach made some groaning noises nearby, throwing his hands up in exasperation, clearly demonstrating what a poor coach he was. But the fury between the two players was more important for the team players and the audience. The intensity of hatred between the two was the most entertainment they have had.

“Well, fucking help me! You’re my Team Captain, right?!” Sallie shrieked at last, her wrath now sparking frantically. She threw the ball at 069 in retaliation with all her strength. Unexpectedly, her aim was a little off, but to her amusement the ball slammed into 069’s crotch. 069 roared in agony, his eyes lifting to the ceiling when he felt the sudden assault between his legs. His hands impulsively clutched onto his groin, falling to the ground awkwardly as the ball bounced back to Sallie. She caught it quickly, noticing that she had, potentially, paralysed the enemy. 069’s eyes shot back at her, white-hot with manic rage. This was her chance!

069’s cruel gaze followed her as she turned suddenly, running with the ball and began to bounce it, quickly gaining control with the size difference, the ball spinning back up into her palm. It was awkward, but she could just about handle it. Regardless, the sensation was coming back.

_This is how you fucking do it, boys!_

The Elite Tyrants chased after her, but to their dismay they could not catch her, even at top speed. She was much too nimble for them, darting between their legs and dancing around their feet, causing the Elite Tyrants to stumble and slow down before they could give chase again. A cry, mixed with ferocity and complete spastic panic, echoed through the gym. Sallie ran as fast as she could, narrowly missing the towering Tyrants, feeling their eager hands sweeping across the ground to catch her. During the deafening stomps, Mr X was loudly clapping in approval, watching Sallie finally taking the lead, the Elite Tyrants obviously frustrated with this. Down below, the Coach laid on the ground, gurgling to himself.

Soon, between the huddling Elite Tyrants, Sallie could make out the hoop.

_There you are!_

With another cry of strength, she leapt and aimed, her hands reaching to launch the ball into the hoop-

A terrible force collided into the side of her abruptly, knocking the wind out of her body and she choked on a soundless gasp, collapsing onto the floor with a heavy, rough fall, the basketball slipping from her hand and bounced across the court, rolling to a stop.

The Gym hushed into a sullen silence; breaths held in horror. Grunting in agony, Sallie felt something heavy over her legs, pinning her down, and that’s when she noticed something.

_Someone fucking knocked me out of the way!_

Gasping for air, she turned to find 069 was the culprit to have smashed her out of the way, refusing to allow her to score a hoop. He shot up onto his feet, leaving the small woman seized in a numb shock of the tackle, struggling to make sense what had happened. Her vision was hazy, the high-pitch whines of blood rushing in her ears.  

“Woo! That’s what you get!” 069 hollered in victory, raising his hands into the air as if he had accomplished something by what he did. He absolutely refused to allow Sallie to succeed. He was not about to be shown up by such a small, pathetic human! She can’t just waltz in and act like she was on the team!

He turned to his fellow teammates for approval to find even they seemed astounded by his outburst. Sallie’s mind was still spinning, hot flushes of agony waving in and out of her consciousness. Through the mist of her consciousness, she managed to hear the Coach burbling something, but was sharply interrupted when she heard powerful, daunting footsteps.  _Running_. A second later, through the hot blurs she saw Mr X swept across her vision, his fist clenched and connected savagely into 069’s jaw, sending the massive Tyrant sprawling across the floor.

Mr X heaved an agitated sigh, turning around and leaned down, offering Sallie his hand. Trying to compose herself, straightening her vision, she grabbed Mr X’s hand and he pulled her up onto her feet easily.

“D-Did you just hit that dickweed again?” She said with a playful smirk, her eyes blinking and squinting through the agony that writhed through her. “I told you I can take care of myself, you silly satsuma.”

Mr X seemed focused on 069, his glare thunderous at the fallen Elite Tyrant. He was fuming over what 069 had done.

“Whoa…” An Elite Tyrant murmured in wonder. It came from the smallest of the group, 071. He seemed impressed by the sheer strength of Mr X. Another Elite Tyrant, 070, approached Sallie in a few, heavy steps, his expression a little softer now, and soon all of them gathered around the small woman and Mr X, leaving their leader to struggle relocating his jaw from the attack.

“You okay? That was…impressive.” 070 spoke, his voice a profound yet modest rumble now. He was seriously enthralled with her speed, how she managed to evade the Elite Tyrants despite her height, and how she handled the ball. The Coach sprinted towards the group, gurgling frantically, and Sallie was certain he was smiling.

071 was kind enough to translate for Sallie.

“Coach said he loved your speed. If 069 didn’t stop you, he thinks you would have scored this team’s first legitimate basket.” He explained, his voice gradually gaining bliss. The Tyrants were all aware of this. 069 was the only one who ever went for the hoop, and he was terrible despite his staggering height. Coach burbled again, and the Elite Tyrants gasped in unison.

“What?” Sallie asked, her voice a little strained. 071 turned to Sallie, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Coach wants to know if you want to be Captain instead?”

069 lurched to his feet instantly, hearing that statement and ran towards the group, bellowing.

“You can’t do this to me! I’m the best player-!”

The Coach rounded on him angrily, screeching back and silencing the giant Tyrant. When 069 was hushed, Coach turned back to Sallie, nodding approvingly and groaned something, in which 071 translated again.

“He’s asking if any of us have a problem with that?”

There was a pause during which time the Elite Tyrants conferred briefly. Sallie faced Mr X, a mixture of confusion and apprehension in her eyes. Mr X’s eyes slid from 069 to Sallie, noticing her gaze, and he gave her a small smile, one that, in someway, reassured her that everything was going to be okay.

Then the Elite Tyrants all faced her.

“Y’know what?” 070 shrugged. “Fuck it. We want you to be Captain, Sallie. You’re really good, and we barely know how to play.” He hated to admit such a thing, but it was the truth. For their team to make it in the leagues, they would have to learn the game properly.

Sallie stammered, taken back and felt overwhelmed by the pleading gazes that fixed onto her,  _waiting_. Suddenly, she was given the opportunity to knock 069’s ego over…but she felt a little cruel. She had been in such a position before, earned a title, and having a new member snatching it from her hands-

“If you want to,” She shrugged, uncertainty in her voice. It wasn’t that she was concerned about 069’s feelings, but did she have it in her? To battle against god-knows in the future leagues. “I’ve played basketball before. I have an idea what’s going on.” She caught the nasty glare from 069 and reflected it back at him promptly. “Can  _you_  handle taking orders from a woman, sir?”

069’s jaw visibly clenched. He was witnessing his little empire crumbling, but he knew at this point he had no choice.

“Yeah, I can.” He grumbled, folding his arms like a petulant child. 070 tutted, turning to Sallie with a wink.

“I’m sure ALPHA secretly loves it!” He grinned, finding it amusing for such a mean, macho Tyrant to take orders from a small woman. Some guys get off to that idea. Perhaps 069 will find a new fetish to indulge in. “To get dominated by a woman!” 070 quickly closed his mouth when 069 fired him a blazing glare.

Coach nodded, miming dusting off his hands and genuinely looked pleased with the results of the discussion.

That was when 071 squatted down beside Sallie.

“Hey Sallie! Could you show us how you ran with the ball like that again?” His voice was brimming with excitement, and Sallie felt delighted by the eagerness of it.

How adorable.

“Uh…sure.” Sallie flustered, composing herself quickly. She was charmed by the Elite Tyrants’ sudden interest. She felt Mr X patting her on the back in congratulations before he returned to the bleachers, shooting 069 one last warning glare before he sat down. The Elite Tyrants circled around Sallie as she tried to think how to start. “So, this is about team-work. Like in every sport. Not one person takes the glory.  _All_  take the glory. That’s the point.” She punched her fist into the palm of her gloved hand. “Let’s start with the basics…” She turned to 072, who was holding the ball under his arm, and indicated the ball. Carefully, he gave it to Sallie, and she held the ball up, battling with its weight clumsily. “It’ll be easier for you guys. But you bounce the ball along the floor as you run like this.” She turned and began to run, feeling all eyes on her as she demonstrated the basics. They took note how she used her firm fingertips to control the ball, allowing it to spin into the palm of her hand, only for her to hit it to the ground again, and repeat. It was rather fascinating, almost like a dance routine. Eventually, she returned to the Elite Tyrants, stopping and catching the ball. She sighed heavily. “What you guys were doing is against the rule, actually. You can’t run while holding the ball. You need to run and bounce it. This isn’t rugby.”

“Rugby?” 071 blinked, and Sallie frantically waved her hand.

“Never mind.” She smiled, quickly throwing the ball at 069 without looking at him. He just about caught it, and for the first time since she’d met him, he seemed at a loss for what to do. Then she faced him with a challenging smirk. “You go, first.”

His scowl deepened.

“Fine.” He growled, turning and attempted to run and bounce the ball at the same time. The ball bounced twice before he missed it, and it shot off across the gymnasium. He clenched his fists in frustration. “It’s not that easy!” He bellowed, though no one had said anything. He clearly cared far too much for his appearance to others.

“Take it calmly right now. We’re not in battle just yet.” Sallie instructed firmly, her previous military persona coming out now. 071 caught the ball, rolling it gently towards Sallie and she thanked him, turning back to the pouting 069. She held it up to him. “Try again. Hold it like this.” She cusped the ball firmly between her fingertips, meeting his eye. 069 looked at her bad-temperedly and noticed that the fearful gaze no longer existed there. He was starting to dislike the sense of her not being intimidated by him anymore. She placed her hand over his and positioned his hands correctly. “Okay, now try to bounce it on the spot.”

069 felt her light touch, and suddenly his heart was racing. His face flushed and he stared at her for a long moment, longing for her touch to last forever. How could this be happening? This  _never_  happened to him!

He felt himself getting agitated when Sallie flashed him a snarky smile. “Pay attention, okay?” And in an instant, she slapped the ball out of his hand swiftly and snatching it from him. “Because this will happen. You must protect that ball.” She bounced it a few times. “Try to take it from me, big boy.” She sprinted off before 069 could react, and he grinned wider.

“I can do that!” He spoke confidently, hurriedly approaching Sallie, leaning down to try and swipe the ball out of her possession. He was utterly confident in his speed and strength, knowing he’d be able to defeat her easily! But the small woman dismissed him, focusing on running with the ball and avoiding the massive hunk of metal and brawn behind her. When she judged the distance between her and 069 close enough, she spun around suddenly and threw the ball at 017, who was standing nearby amazed by the scene. When he caught it by sheer luck, he looked dumbfounded at her.

“ _Go!_ ” Sallie called out. “And run with it, don’t hold it or you’ll fuck up!”

071 looked down at the ball, back at Sallie and then down again. Then belatedly he burst into motion, beginning to frantically bounce the ball and race down the court, screaming happily as he noticed he was getting it, following Sallie. 069 snarled a moment before he rushed to intercept, snatching the ball and bowling 071 out of the way, nearly forcing him into Sallie. Once 069 claimed the ball, he rushed for the hoop and shot, but it missed by a mile, smashing through an already-smashed window. He cursed vociferously and stomped in frustration. “Close.” Sallie said between pants, approaching 069 carefully. “But you can’t simply barge into opponents like that. It’s not part of the rules.” The Coach gurgled something then, shortly followed by a translation from 071.

“Um. Coach said that it  _is_ part of the rules.”

“Oh…” Sallie blinked a few times, then she slammed a fist into her hand. “Never mind, then!” Further ahead, 070 went to retrieve the ball. “069, you panic too much when you shoot.” Sallie posed her hand to try and demonstrate how to shoot. “If you bend your wrist like this, you have more control.”

069 pouted, not bothering to hide his disgust. He hated being told what to do…but he found himself loving the attention from her.

“Sure. Fine.” He muttered. “I’ll try that next time.”

Coach threw his hands up and growled.

“Practise is over.” 070 announced, and already the Elite Tyrants were slowly making their way back to their locker room.

“Wow, already?” Sallie piped up, genuinely surprised. She had to admit; she enjoyed the session regardless of the rough start. The thrill was coming back to her, something she had been craving for too long. It was simply in her blood.

069 hesitated a moment, looking down at Sallie.

“I suppose you did ok today.” He murmured half-heartedly, seeing Mr X approaching Sallie, her trench-coat hanging over his arm, and decided to leave her, following his teammates.

By the time Mr X was beside Sallie, she spun around and flashed him a strong grin.

“So, I didn’t die!”

The T-103 nodded slowly, smiling back at her lightly.

“Wasn’t worried.” He rumbled playfully, really enjoying the confidence radiating from her, bolstered. He had relished watching her play; she was very skilled and had shown them who was boss. What strength and courage.

The small woman nestled against him, finding his presence rewarding enough.

“Well, I’m glad.” She tenderly touched his arm, running it along the length of it and taking in the muscular structure of it,  _enjoying it-_

\- and she snatched her arm back as if burnt, realising what she was doing, and somehow seemed ashamed to show such affection.

_You’re touching too much-!_

She stalled for a time, nervous. “We should probably find Nemesis and Tish. Besides, I need a shower.”

Reluctantly, Mr X agreed. He didn’t wish for the moment to end, but he knew it had to. Sallie, no doubt, had to find her dorm-room and get settled in. She must be terribly exhausted, despite the spark that resided in her eyes. He handed her trench-coat back, leading her out of the gymnasium where the corridors were now empty, much cooler as the evening air seeped through the broken windows. They made their way to the canteen, assuming that was going to be their meeting point. Besides, Sallie owned Mr X a drink after his epic punch. Mr X pressed himself against the woman, a towering broad figure complimenting the smaller one, enjoying the peace and quiet together.

They had not noticed, however, 069 lingering by the doorway of the locker room as they left, his glare hateful upon the couple. 


	8. The Beauty of Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nemesis and Tish explores the Art club after class to find the teacher...a little mad.
> 
> Nemesis also gets floored. Again.

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 7: The Beauty of Art **

Tish swung in Nemesis’ arms, whisked away by the bumbling tyrant. Her feet swayed with his movement, barely touching the ground.

“Hey, I can walk you know!” She protested loudly, grumpily struggling in his grip. But Nemesis ignored the small human. He only gave her a cheeky smirk. She gave up quickly, sighing slightly. “Do you know who runs the art class anyway? Am I in for a tough time?” It occurred to her that she might be about to walk into a den of misery if whoever was running it was one of those snobbish gatekeepers who thought only very specific things could be considered art.

The question stalled Nemesis. He thought for a time.

“Well…he’s sorta bit of a weirdo.” Nemesis replied honestly with a shrug, gently placing the human back onto the ground and led the way. They crept up two flights of stairs, making it to the second-top floor. Nemesis had to think carefully, trying to describe the teacher as best as he could without being  _too_  detailed. “He has this obsession with…” His hands began to animate madly as he tried to explain, and just found it easier to just be blunt with it. “He has this thing for nudity. But he insists that the classes remain clean and friendly…yet he allows porn and nudity and all that shit. Art isn’t taken seriously here.” Tish narrowed her eyes at Nemesis, clearly unsure if he was joking or not. Spying Tish’s reaction, he shook his head aggressively. “Look, Mr Dev is a weirdo. But just stay in his good books, and you’ll be fine!”

“That seems contradictory, but sure, okay.” Tish mumbled. “But, seriously, you know who might be posing? Am I about to get an eyeful of one of those ceiling lads up there?” She asked, tilting her head up to the Lickers that scrabbled about up by the light fixtures.

Nemesis looked up, watching them scatter when they were aware of being watched. Tish didn’t seem impressed by that. But he felt the urge to not discourage her passion for art just because of some asshole teacher. No, he needed to get her to that class. He wanted her to be happy…

He rubbed the back of his bald skull.

“Well, I ain’t sure, to be honest.”

It didn’t take them too long to find the room. Once they made it to class, Nemesis turned to Tish, his expression reading a strange affection to the human. “So, this is your class. Time for me to go to my class now. Bye!”

He promptly walked away from Tish, stopped, turned around quickly, and returned straight back to her, suddenly bursting into a dramatic gasp, his eye wide. “Oh! What’s this? We have the same class, it seems!” They didn’t, but he’d gladly skip drama for this. He opened the door for her, bowing down slightly and beckoning her to enter. “M’lady,”

Tish giggled, rolling her eyes.

“Oh really? You do art now, huh?” She cooed light-hearteningly, stepping through. “Now  _that_  I want to see.” Tish had to admit, Nemesis’ giddy energy was so endearing, and she loved how goofy he was. It always made whatever predicament she was in ever so better.

Upon entering the room, Tish took a quick moment to survey the class, seeing stools set up at messy easels. The teacher didn’t seem to be here yet, and a few students flocked behind their easels, soft murmurs filled the room. Some students sat, or squatted awkwardly, in their seats waiting. When Nemesis followed her inside, she turned to him. “I would be so glad to have a friend here.” She confessed.

Nemesis’ shoulders dropped in ease. He found her presence so comfortable. He didn’t have to put a show on all the time to impress her. He could just be  _himself_. Perhaps this is how Mr X felt around Sallie? No wonder why that tall, grumpy bastard was finally smiling now. This sensation was…pleasant. There was something he really liked about her. He adored how she didn’t take shit, yet she held onto that gentle nature he knew when their first met. She probably got her sharpened edges from Sallie, and Nemesis liked that. She wasn’t a pushover, but still kind. Staying close to the human, Nemesis followed her, and when she chose her place in the circle of easels, Nemesis nonchalantly kicked a skeleton out of the seat beside her, reclaiming the seat as his proudly.

“So,” Nemesis started, smirking to himself for a time and then leaned close to her, wiggling his eyebrow. “If I were to pose nude for you, would you complain? Draw me like one of those German ladies.”

_It’s French Ladies, Nemmy…_

Tish was about to answer him when the door at the back of the room, that appeared to lead into a very constricted closet, banged open. All at once, the students leapt out of their seats, startled and turned. Marching out of the closet was a crazed-looking creature, with wispy white hair and bulging eyes. Tish and Nemesis tensed up as the creature, the  _teacher_ , approached his students.

“ART!” He screamed, causing Tish to flinch in fright. There was an unnervingly long pause during which he scanned the room critically. Tish took note of his outfit, a weird suit that was coloured in a mixed palette of darks and soft greens, and it barely stretched over his distended belly. “ART!” Came the same scream. “Is the medium…the currency which we artists used in life!” He gesticulated madly, his paint-stained hands waving back and forth. Tish’s heart sank. He was fucking  _insane_. This was certainly not the kind of teacher she had expected… _wanted_  in the first place. “ _YOU!_ ” Screamed Mr Dev, pointing at a Hunter, who was crouched on her stool. She croaked nervously in reply. “You produced the best drawing from last week’s project…WELL DONE!” He clapped oddly, trying to use only his fingertips and yet still produced a sound. The Hunter heaved a visible sigh, her green scaly body slumping with relief. With a mad swish of his index finger, like a drugged-up conductor, the art teacher exclaimed loudly yet again. “SO! NOW WE BEGIN!” He flailed around oddly, apparently signalling something to happen, but no one knew what.

Nemesis flashed Tish an uncomfortable expression, as if saying:  _Told you so_. He remained silent, however, uncertain if he would get away with joining another after-school class without any formal request forms. To his dismay, it was at that moment Mr Dev seemed to have noticed fresh, new faces, and suddenly locked his ugly gaze onto them. “NEW MEMBERS?!” He blurted out, more surprised than eager.

“Uh, yes sir!” Nemesis replied promptly, hoping to save Tish from any incoming trouble from the strange professor. Mr Dev marched towards them, leaning down over their canvas like a curious bird of prey, glaring at them carefully.

“ARE YOU TWO NEW TO ART?!”

“Uh, I am.” Nemesis chuckled, giving a shrug at the collection of stares from around the artist circle. “I know, I know. Unfortunately, I am not perfect.” Nemesis then stopped, startled to find several sheets thrusted into his face quickly. He blinked, staring at the pieces of paper given by the teacher, seeing what appeared to be rudimentary images of awful recoloured pictures clearly stolen from another source. Everyone in the building knew that Mr Dev was not a good artist. But his ‘dedication’ is what made him good at his job…apparently…

Tish glared at the ugly, poorly constructed images over Nemesis’ shoulder, and looked at the teacher again. How in the hell was she supposed to make art with these?

“USE THESE FOR GUIDES!”

“What the fuck is this-?”

“ART!” The teacher spun around, wagging his finger and hurried to the centre of the room.

The small human waited for the teacher to leave them alone, glancing at Nemesis. Then she defiantly flipped the page over onto the blank side, flashing a cheeky grin at him and winked. Nemesis felt himself becoming warm at the sight.

_Crafty missy…_

“NOW, KRAUSER!” Mr Dev’s announcement called out a burly man from the other room, wearing a simply white spa-gown and his famed red beret. Nemesis scrutinized the man. He seemed remarkably human, shockingly handsome, despite the mangled arm, his long claws curled and itched at the floor. The Tyrant stirred, feeling his stomach churning at the sight of him. This was, perhaps, the most human being he had ever seen in the campus, except for Sallie. He glanced at Tish nervously, trying to read her. He was certain Tish was going to be attracted to him.

_Of course, she would. He’s a fucking human…_

Tish had glanced over her easel to see this model, and something clicked. Jack Krauser? She remembered that name! Leon had mentioned him before, years ago, she was absolutely certain! But she could not recall what he’d told her.

She inched closer to Nemesis.

“He’s not a teacher too, is he?” She asked in a small voice. “I don’t want to see his junk and then learn maths from him.” She softly snorted at her own joke, though Nemesis’s grimace remained, and he slowly shook his head.

“Nah. Just some guy that comes out of nowhere-” The words choked in Nemesis’ throat when he looked up, poorly-timed, and watched the very moment Krauser stood on a stage in the centre, his robe falling to the ground, and revealed his nude, mutated body, his transmuted clawed arm completely exposed now, contrasting strangely against his very human features. He flexed his muscles for a bit, clearly taking his job seriously, and then sat down, posing in the famous ‘The Thinker’ position, and froze.

“ART!” Mr Dev announced in a shrill, using his fingers to point out Krauser’s hard ass and dick. “ART!” He emphasised, and Nemesis visibly squirmed in his seat.

Beside him, Tish rolled her eyes.  _Now_  it all made sense; this class was  _that_  sort of art class! Since he seemed so focused on the sexual parts, Tish retaliated. If that’s what this disgusting teacher wanted, he was going to get it! She began to frantically scribble with a big, charcoal pencil, glancing at Nemesis and finding herself thinking that she’d rather be trying to draw him. His body would be no doubt a challenge to draw, and his face, those unearthly features that were irreplaceable, unique. She really wanted to see what Nemesis’ body looked like, what kind of mutations he had to bear with. Knowing each marking had a story to tell.

Not that Krauser was  _horrible_  to look at, that is…

The tyrant beside her sank in his stool, grumbling to himself. He didn’t want to draw this silly gross bastard. He refused to stare at Krauser’s parts…

Subtly, he glanced at Tish’s easel, watching her scribbling furiously. She seemed to not be taking this lesson seriously, and it amused him. She drew a giant, crude dick across her page, impossibly huge and ill-proportioned, and added details such as a dramatic vein and badly drawn cum. She sniggered as she worked, and Nemesis watched her, finding her joy just something he had not seen before. It was light and tender, and strangely, Nemesis found himself craving for it more. Feeling his eye fixated on her, Tish faced Nemesis. He hadn’t tried anything, and his expression read uncertain.

“It’s like you’ve done this before.” Nemesis whispered, seeing a small smile on Tish’s face.

“I used to attend an art school, before I switched to science and became a scientist.” Tish replied, recalling the very reasons why she switched, and her pretty face saddened. “My parents urged me to do something with my life that mattered…”

“But…” Nemesis tried to search for the right words, thinking. “But it’s  _your_ life…I don’t get why you humans can’t let each other be happy.”

That comment astounded Tish, it seemed rather strange to hear such words from Nemesis. But he had a good point. Humans were disgusting creatures. Sallie hated them, and Tish agreed with her reasons.

 _“This is the reason why we don’t get visited by aliens!”_  Sallie’s famous hiss came to her mind. She was correct.

_Humans. Fucking stupid fools…_

“Why not draw me instead?” She suggested with a grin, changing the subject. She gave him a quick shrug. “I know I’m not nude, but I doubt this crazy motherfucker would notice.” She pointed at the teacher, who was busy scrutinizing one of the student’s drawings.

Nemesis felt a strange hot flush rising in his cheeks, but he dismissed it. Ignoring it, he shuffled in his stool closer.

“I…I can try, I guess.” He took the pencil, trying to hold it like Tish, using her as a reference, and held it for a time. It felt awkward, but he believed he’ll get used to it.  He began to sketch, drawing a lopsided circle, but he was trying to capture Tish’s eyes. He found drawing appealing, relaxing. No wonder why humans loved to draw so much, it was a bizarre form of therapy, a distraction from any dark thoughts that tried to invade his mind. “I’m sorry. I know how that feels…to be something you don’t wanna be.” He added, his shoulders sagging sadly, finding it difficult for such a pretty human to go through something like that, and to keep smiling.

Tish smiled faintly as she rendered some realistic pubic hairs onto her drawing.

“I had it pretty easy, let’s be fair.” She laughed meekly, her smile looking less than genuine.  _Pained_. “I won’t pry. Unless you want to tell me, but I bet you had a rough time yourself.” Her voice was soothing, something in that tone of voice that told Nemesis he could just relax and be honest with her without being judged.

Nemesis opened his mouth to reply but went silent when he was aware of Mr Dev’s presence, watching the strange creature striding around and glaring down at Tish’s drawing.

“ART!” He screamed, seemingly in approval, and moved on, mumbling incoherently to himself.

“Well-” Nemesis began but was interrupted when he realised Mr Dev had halted behind him, and seemed to have frozen. When Nemesis turned around, he saw what appeared to be an expression of disgust.

“WHAT IS THIS?!” He bellowed, stabbing a greasy finger at the sketch. It was a face, scrawled, and it vaguely looked like Tish, with her cute wonky glasses and short hair. He was trying,  _so hard_ , to capture her beauty,

“Uh…” He stammered, but the teacher didn’t give him enough time to churn a response.

“WHAT IS THIS?!” He demanded again, seemingly mad. The class suddenly stopped and watched the scene. Nemesis fiddled with his pencil for a moment, searching for a reply.

“Art?” He replied thick with doubt, giving a comical shrug.

Mr Dev waved his hands madly, animating his utter repulsion.

“THIS NOT ART! NOT ENOUGH DICKS!” He screamed at the top of his voice, making the murky jars of dirty paintbrushes rattle nearby. The teacher flounced off, his great belly wobbling at the sudden motion, as if personally offended by this deliberate slight against him. Tish tutted.

“I can already tell I’m going to hate this class…I wish there was another one I could sneak into.” She complained. That struck something sharp inside of Nemesis. He wasn’t entirely sure what, but he pondered about it for a moment, and realised that what he felt was empathy. He was saddened that Tish seemed disappointed in a lesson she was eager to engage in. And now, with a terrible, twisted teacher with misleading guidelines, he felt furious by this. But then-

“Actually,  _Sir_ , dicks are not the only things that’s is considered art!” Nemesis snapped, halting the teacher from his unsatisfied, snobby march. Mr Dev spun around, his face a picture of abhorrence. He pointed at Tish, making the human shake suddenly at the aggressive point.

“NOT ART!”

Nemesis stood up quickly, his eye narrowed.

“Fuck you, she  _is_ art!”

Tish suddenly bloomed a bright pink, but Nemesis was steamrolling in the argument with the teacher.

_No fool will upset Tish…_

“You want view?! You want fame?! You want commissions?!”

“Fuck no! I want Tish to be happy!” Okay, that came out from nowhere. But Nemesis couldn’t stop himself, the words just falling from his sharp mouth and horrifying Mr Dev, as if each statement took a blunt hit upon the creature. “Your views on what is art or not is strictly personal, but not everyone will share your views, you uneducated fool! You think dicks and porn is going to get your famous! Fine, whatever!” He pointed at the flushing human, stunned in a mute-silence to hear Nemesis suddenly rip this teacher verbally. “But to me,  _that_  woman is far better to look at than  _that!_ ” Nemesis pointed a finger at Krauser, who clearly didn’t care about the drama between student and teacher. Instead, he simply smirked, directing a hand at his own dick.

“Art…” He grumbled, and the teacher jumped to his side.

“ART!” He screamed, pointing at Krauser’s dick too.

That was when Tish stood up, having enough of it now.

“That is not art, mate. Chill out.” She stepped away from the easel, shaking her head. “Also, this class is a pointless exercise in futility and I rather think I shan’t be returning.” She faced Nemesis and smiled. That smile was so bright, so sweet, so  _proud_ , Nemesis felt his heartbeat becoming more intense just at the sight of it. “Want to righteously storm out with me?”

The Tyrant chuckled, seeing how the other students gawked at the pair of them. Even Mr Dev, who was often not so easily stunned. Looked like they both succeeded in something. Grinning, Nemesis offered her his arm, and she took it. It was surprisingly warm and soft, a heartening sensation.

“I will gladly storm out with you, m’lady!” He beamed, taking her out of the classroom, the pair of them ignoring the frantic teacher’s rambles about views and money.

 _Who fucking cared?_  Nemesis thought hotly, looking back down at Tish, and she flashed him another grin.  _I’ve got something better..._

*

Once they were outside the class, Tish looked up to Nemesis, who glanced down at her.

“Hey, thanks for what you said back there.” She felt her cheeks flush again at the thought. “That was really sweet of you.”

Nemesis shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal, trying to play it cool despite feeling his own face flare in a hot blush.

“Nah, it was nothing. Just telling the truth.”

“Want to grab something horribly fattening and tasty?” Tish asked. She thought she deserved a treat after that joke of a class, and Nemesis deserved it too for what he had done for her. “Anywhere we can get milkshakes from around here?”

The Tyrant thought for a time, and then nodded eagerly.

“Sure, why the fuck not?”

“Lead the way!” Tish said happily, wondering how big the servings was going to be, judging by how huge the coffee had been this morning.

Nemesis boomed a laugh in eagerness, turning to the direction of the canteen. Though he couldn’t help but feel a little empty without Mr X, and that small woman.

“Y’know, I wonder how your friend is doing.”

That thought made Tish frown slightly.

“I hope Sallie  _is_  okay. Considering she has the knob-squat to deal with.”

“We shall find out very soon!” Nemesis piped up enthusiastically, waving his finger in the air in a melodramatic effect. “Though I’m sure she will be fine. She can defend herself from big guys, right? Being in the army and all…” He pondered about this for a moment though. How could such a small human survive the terrible toils of the army? Nemesis had a horrible time with them, many times. They  _all_  had…

They finally made it to the canteen, the air thick with the smell of grease and hot oils. Sickly yet strangely good enough to set Tish’s stomach growling for the craving of food. A few of the students lingered around, resuming on what appeared to be leftovers from lunch, or reciting work…if that’s what it was. Nemesis hurried to the kitchen, leaning down over the murky glass barrier that separated him from hurling all the cooked food into his mouth. Soggy burgers and burnt chips caught his eyes. “Ohhh! The fries are extra crispy today!” He announced.

“I love crispy chips, they’re my favourite!” Tish giggled, and Nemesis glanced at her.

“What the fuck…chips?!”

“Chips!”

“The fuck-!”

“Fries, you big Doofus!” Tish reminded him, tapping his head playfully with her knuckles. Then it hit the Tyrant.

“Oh! Yes, because you’re Australian!”

“British.”

Nemesis waved his hand madly at her, dismissing such a trivial matter. Food was more important.

“Want some?” He turned to her and found her beaming happily.

“Sure thing!” She grabbed a paper cup and scooped some up, trying one and chewed on it for a moment. Then her smile widened. “These are great!” She announced, doing a happy little jig. In a strange, affectionate way, Nemesis watched Tish, liking her little jig and general enjoyment. She was such an odd little human, and he was happy that she wasn’t here just to plainly shoot at him. “You want some too?” She was aware of a few students around eyeing her slightly odd behaviour; she was so energetic, and Nemesis didn’t mind it. She reminded him of…himself. The brash, colourful one, stuck by the hip with the older, more serious one.

_Wow, what a fucking coincidence…_

After they gathered a few things, such as sweet treats and drinks, they walked towards an empty table, sitting down together. They enjoyed their evening snack together, and Nemesis found himself watching her eat, almost dreamily. He enjoyed how she scoffed her food and didn’t give a care in the world. She seemed to have relaxed completely around him, and this was far better than having an angry woman glaring and snapping at him. He didn’t understand the pleasures 069 got from it with Sallie.

He decided to distract himself from gawking too long, not wanting to appear gross.

“So, why are you here, anyway?” He asked, purely out of curiosity. His gaze fell. “Most humans I’ve met only want to shoot at us. We had humans shooting at Wesker, Mr X. Hell, even 069 and his crew.”

Tish carefully sipped soda out of an oversized bottle, taking a moment to compose her answer.

“Well, Sallie and I weren’t supposed to come here. There was a mix-up. But I’d rather study here than anywhere else.” She answered. Honestly, she didn’t really know what else to tell him. She didn’t know why they were here either. But now that she was, she knew she wasn’t going to leave in a hurry. Nemesis was so sweet to her, she found it hard to understand why people would just shoot first and ask questions later. Then again, Sallie used to be one of those kinds of people. But that was the difference between her and Sallie: Tish was born to continue her bloodline’s success, to be a scientist, while Sallie was born as a human weapon, a warrior. Tish flashed a cheerful smile at Nemesis. “I will never shoot at you.” She added, taking a bite of a huge cake.

“Ha, I know. First of all, I don’t see any guns on you, sweetheart! So, I know I’m a little safe with you!” He grinned, taking a slurp from his cup, smacking his lipless mouth loudly in satisfaction at the refreshing taste of his drink. “A mix-up, huh?” He shrugged. “I’m sure there was a reason for it. This is the first-time humans has ever been granted here, not including the Dean and his co-workers or whatever…unless you were meant to be here.” His comment was casual, but he didn’t realise the gravity of the situation until he said it.

He bleached loudly as Tish eyed him closely.

“Meant to be here? You mean someone might have fixed it, so we ended up here?” She mused out loud, sounding as casual as she could. In truth, it was what she’d be suspecting, but she thought she was perhaps overthinking things. To hear someone else say it aloud though…

Nemesis shrugged.

“It’s just a thought,” He said, a little uncertain himself. “I hope that’s not the case. I-I’m so glad you’re here. It’s been fun, and it’s only the first day!” He budged closer to her, feeling more at comfort with her. He wanted to touch her face. “Even if that was the case. I’d protect you, my little Star-!” His words betrayed him, and he went cold quickly. Okay, that name came out from nowhere-!

That name made Tish’s face rapidly flush. She loved hearing it, thinking it was a sweet and wonderful nickname. But it also terrified her; as the thought of S.T.A.R.S might cause him pain. What a random word to say…

She glanced around in surprise, but instantly plastered a smile on her face.

“Aww, you’re smooth as fuck, you know that?” She laughed. Nemesis joined in too, letting out a boisterous laugh, evidently proud to have impressed her.

“I’m not Umbrella’s best Tyrant for nothing!” He cupped his hand over his mouth and added in a whispered voice: “But don’t tell my brother that. He gets mad.” He sniggered again. Then, a noise caught his attention. Nemesis looked up to the source of it and snorted at the scene.

Tish followed Nemesis’s gaze and saw the scene unfolding nearby. It was rather cruel. A Licker, slightly smaller than the usual one that lurked around campus, was being encircled by other Lickers and, surprisingly, some other of the deformed student. It was being bullied, rather viciously, and it cowered in the pitiful hiding spot, pressed hard against the corner.

The smaller Licker was clearly less formed than the others, but that didn’t mean it deserved to be picked on. Tish’s expression darkened at the sight, ignoring Nemesis’ sniggers.

“This is not on.” She muttered, standing up suddenly. “Not on at all. Come on, Smiley!”

Nemesis’ laugh stopped with a snort, suddenly looking up at Tish as if she had asked him to get naked.

“Huh?” He asked dumbly, realising she was going to intervene. Her words told him her intentions rather clearly, and he quickly stood up. “Wait, what are you thinking of doing?”

The little human ignored him. Tish was already marching up to the students picking on the small Licker, barging them aside and planting herself in front of the poor Licker, which was wincing behind its tiny paws.

“Leave them alone, you set of dickheads!” Tish growled, drawing strength from the looming presence of Nemesis close by. Her glare challenged anyone to try and move her. The students staggered at the sight of the tiny human, but all turned to Nemesis as if asking for his approval of the situation. He folded his great arms over his leather-bounded chest.

“I’d listen if I were you,” Nemesis murmured warningly. “She means it.”

At that point, the BOW students knew it would be a mistake. Tish watched the frightened faces of all the students deepen, slowly backing away and suddenly abandoning they prey to flee for their lives. Nemesis boomed a triumphant laugh, watching the pathetic excuses of BOWs running away. He turned around and seized on the spot to see Tish approaching the little Licker. It had stopped shaking.

“Are you okay, friend?” She asked gently, reaching out tentatively to lightly pat it on the shoulder.

“Tish…” Nemesis warned anxiously, but he was silenced by a mute gesture of her hand, her eyes never leaving the Licker. Reluctantly, Nemesis held his tongue, watching the Licker very carefully. The small Licker trembled, feeling as though Nemesis and Tish were just going to be more of a threat, but it was obvious it was very uncertain in what to make of them.

_Should this little bastard open its fucking mouth-?!_

Tish reached down, cooing at it as if it were a puppy.

“Come on, little one. We won’t hurt you.” She said softly, her tone so motherly it lost Nemesis for a time. Tish reached out further, her hand palm up for it to sniff. Gradually, she sat on the floor to seem less threatening.

“Tish.” Nemesis urged softly, a little more tense now, but the woman ignored him, and he grumbled back like a disapproving husband.

The small Licker hesitated longer, but it crept up towards Tish’s hand, excruciatingly slowly, sniffing it for a time. It soon realised that she posed no threat, quickly nuzzling against her hand. Nemesis stared, his jaw hanging in disbelief. “Wow…” He gawked, impressed by Tish. “I’ve never seen a Licker do that before…”

The human continued to impress Nemesis when she picked up the little form, approaching back to the table where their food was, and placed it in her lap, surprised it wasn’t anywhere near as soggy as it appeared. Nemesis followed, trying to understand the logic on what he had just witnessed, and finding nothing but silly internet memes he recalled years ago.

“What do they usually do?” Tish asked as she lightly scratched its head, and it tilted its head against her hand.

“Well… they climb on the ceiling, spit and hiss at anything that moves.” Nemesis replied, squatting next to Tish. He observed the Licker carefully, watching it curl into her lap in a tighter ball. “But they don’t like humans…so it’s just weird how he’s warmed up to you like that.” The tyrant titled his head. Tish gave Nemesis a stern look, utterly serious.

“This is my friend now. I am keeping my friend.” She cuddled it closer to her protectively, and Nemesis slapped a hand on his face, shaking his head in dismay. This was going to be hard to explain to Sallie and Mr X-

They were suddenly aware of the presence of Mr X and Sallie approaching them from the other side of the canteen, hearing Mr X’s infamously-loud footsteps, and Nemesis glanced over his shoulder, surprised to find Sallie in one piece, with no blood or any form of harm, which was also another mystery.

“Hey guys!” Sallie’s voice piped up, catching the attention of Tish, Nemesis and-

Sallie suddenly leapt back into Mr X’s arms when she noticed the Licker in Tish’s lap. “HOLY FUCKING BALLS-!”

“LOOK AT MY FRIEND!” Tish demanded excitingly, holding the Licker out to them like a child showing off their new puppy. She pulled the Licker away, cuddling into it once again. “This is my friend now!” She added. The Licker was ultimately confused, but completely docile and accepting of its fate.

Mr X stepped a little closer to Sallie, knowing Lickers could be a little…okay, fully savage.

“Tish, that’s a fucking Licker!” Sallie cried out in horror, remaining really close by Mr X. Not because of the Licker, of course… “Do you know how dangerous they are?! They climb on the ceiling, spit and hiss at anything that moves!”

“I tried to warn her,” Nemesis replied tiredly, looking back at Tish in confusion. Though her adoration to this thing was…rather cute. “But…I’ve never seen one so…lame,”

“You mean tame.”

“No. Lame.”

Tish tickled the Licker behind where its ear may have been once, and its back foot began to tap. She immediately found this to be the cutest thing she’d ever seen, snatching the Licker in her arms.

“MY BABY!” She cooed. “Your name is now Lawrence!” The Licker just blankly smiled at her.

Mr X inched closer to examine the Licker, now christened Lawrence, and the Licker instantly snapped and hissed at him, forcing the Tyrant to lurch backwards in alarm. Sallie clasped her arms around Mr X’s waist and attempted to yank him away further from the creature. From beneath his arm, Sallie exchanged glances at him, concerned with the situation but suddenly realising how disturbingly handsome up-close he was-

She cleared her throat, releasing Mr X and faced Tish.

“Uh…Tish, you remembered what happened with that pigeon incident, right? You  _sure_  you’re okay with this? Where can we keep him? What if your dormmate…isn’t me?”

Tish’s eyes went wide, much like a small child begging a parent to keep a raccoon as a pet.

“But he loves me!” She squeaked softly. Just as she said this, the Licker climbed up onto her shoulders without leaving a scratch, amazingly. It started purring, a strange gurgling noise forming in its throat. Tish’s eyes misted up, almost exactly like a scene from an anime when a character spots the cutest thing they’ve ever seen. And then her gaze hardened at her friends, suddenly changing into a raging mama bear. “I will protect Lawrence from everyone! And I shall protect everyone from Lawrence!”

Nemesis, Sallie and Mr X backed away from her, giving her and her new-found pet space. After a tense silence, Sallie groaned heavily and faced the BOWs.

“I do admit, when Tish is passionate about something like this, she ain’t backing down!” Sallie rubbed the back of her head for a time, ruffling her black beanie on her brunette head. “We should probably find our rooms now. It’s getting late. Before Tish gets sent to some asylum.”

“I think it’s cute.”

Mr X and Sallie turned to Nemesis, their expression a mixture of mute-horror. He blinked. “What?”

Tish beamed at Nemesis, a big and bright smile, feeling a warmth towards him.

“Thank you! I knew you’d appreciate Lawrence!” She said thankfully. Lawrence seemed to have calmed down now, and so Tish approached the others, noticing their tensed shoulders, but they will soon grow comfortable with the Licker. “Oh yeah, we do need to find our rooms…how do we even do that?”

Mr X pointed and beckoned them to follow.

“Lead the way then, big bro.” Nemesis murmured, sarcastically bowing in a formal manner and waved his hand to the direction. Mr X didn’t react. He simply walked past Nemesis. He found it much easier to ignore Nemesis and his teasing; Sallie made him feel content and stronger. Speaking of which, Mr X noticed Sallie passing the mocking tyrant and knocked her knuckles on his skull.

“Quit it, bellend.” It was a gentle nudge, but it weirdly irritated Nemesis enough. Sallie briskly followed Mr X, remaining close by his side. Nemesis gave Tish a baffled glance, but only shrugged and followed their leaders. “Hey, Mr X, when we find our rooms, we can hang out more without getting pestered by anyone! We can just chill alone.” Sallie piped up to Mr X. Her comment was completely innocent, only meant for Mr X’s ears, but Nemesis overheard and snorted, twisting it as usual. He was being dirty again.

“Chill alone, huh?”

“Are you always thinking about dipping your pickle?” Tish asked with a roll of her eyes, exasperated. It was Sallie’s turn to laugh at the comment, finding the image disgusting yet amusing. “I swear some men are so typical.” Tish added, feeling Lawrence relaxing on her shoulder. The small Licker yawned, promptly falling asleep.

Nemesis opened his mouth to reply, but then decided against it. Spying his hesitation, Sallie decided to really annoy Nemesis. Playfully, of course!

“Nah, you know what? Fuck it!” She leapt in front of Mr X, startling the towering tyrant to a halt, and grabbed onto the lapels of his black leather overcoat, tugging him forward with her at a demanding pace. “C’mon, handsome! I’m gonna fuck your brains out! You’re  _so_ gonna be more dead than the fucking zombies here when I am done with you!” She puckered her lips at Mr X, making loud kissing noises. Mr X could hardly function after what Sallie was saying, his face a deep, hot flush, becoming completely tense. “Are you excited, handsome? To get more action than you  _baby_  brother?” Of course, she was jesting, only to irritated Nemesis. It worked, watching the younger Tyrant’s expression grimace at the image of his older brother bedding such a stupid woman…

A pathetic wheeze of defeat left Nemesis, and he finally decided to just shut up, folding his arms grumpily. Today had been an eventful day, indeed…

Mr X was sure she was teasing Nemesis, and the look of triumph in her eyes told him he was correct, but then there was such a delicate and intimate softness to her gaze that he couldn’t be entirely sure. When she pulled him closer to her, he didn’t know if he’d lose his head and flee, like he always seemed to do. But this time, he held his resolve.

Tenderly, Tish touched Nemesis’s hand, grabbing it and holding it, causing him to turn back to her, a little surprised.

“Hey, it’s okay, Smiley.” She cooed, feeling bad for the tyrant’s teasing to be turned against him. He should probably try to roast someone else in the future. Sallie wasn’t a firecracker for no reason…

That thought left Tish cold unexpectedly, but she dismissed it.

The Nemesis Tyrant stared down at their hands, blinking at it a few times as if disbelieving what he was witnessing. Tish had been so gentle and affectionate with him throughout most of the afternoon, he was enjoying it more than he should.

Still, it didn’t stop the blushing and the grumble leaving him. He adverted his gaze away as if dismissing it, but he replied with a firm squeeze around her hand. 


	9. The Dormitories

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 8: The Dormitories **

The HR office wasn’t far. It was stationed at the bottom floor of the dormitories. They took a small cobble path that crossed the main campus, approaching another building that had the blackening backdrop of crooked, twisted dead trees. The skies above were a darker tone of grey, the evening drawing close to them now.

They entered the main lobby room, finding a closed, murky window on one side, presumably the HR office, and a few tattered couches, replicating a derelict waiting room. A set of stairs where further down the hallway, leading to the many dorm rooms above them. Sallie felt the carpet beneath her feet squelch slightly, as if it was  _wet_ …

Sallie reluctantly left Mr X’s side, approaching the window and rapped her knuckles against it.

The window slid open abruptly, and a tiny face peered at them. The creature was human, but his complexion was an off-whitish grey, with yellow beady eyes. He was ornamented in a ridiculous Napoleon-like outfit. When he spoke, his voice was high-pitched and irritating, like a demented puppet, heavily accented in Spanish. Sallie took note of the crooked nameplate from the other side:

**RAMON SALAZAR**

“What do you want?” He demanded, slamming his tiny hands down in irritation.

“Uh…” Tish was taken aback, exchanging a quick glance at Sallie, who didn’t seem impressed already. “We’re new and need to find our rooms, please.”

The tiny muppet retreated into its little alcove for a time.

“Names?”

Tish felt Lawrence stir a little and tried to hush the little Licker before responding.

“Theresa Stripes-”

“And you?” The muppet commanded, facing Sallie.

“Sallie Knight, you fucking-” Sallie grilled, but Nemesis slapped a hand over her mouth to halt her insult.

“Heh, forgive us Mr. Salazar, these ladies need their rooms. They’re really tired.” Nemesis chuckled nervously, knowing how quick the little creature’s temper was. He was infamous for his snappy attitude, and people  _died_  when Salazar got snappy. Sallie grunted against Nemesis’ meaty hand, but was silenced by a quick, warning glare, and she complied with an exasperated roll of her eyes.

Salazar typed less with finesse, his undersized hands slapping across the keyboard and searched for the names.

“You’re in luck,” Trilled the pint-sized BOW. “You’re both roommates. Room 306 on the third floor.” He shooed them away after practically throwing their dorm-keys at them. Sallie, bad-temperedly, snatched her keys mechanically, and Tish clutched onto her against her chest, feeling the sweaty residue on them. She made a mental note to scrub her hands clean. Salazar turned and slammed the window shut, abandoning his post yet again.

“Well, that does simplify things.” Tish said cheerfully after a time, turning to her friends.

“Thank fuck for that…” Sallie grumbled, looking at Nemesis and Mr X. “Hey guys, which rooms are you in?”

Nemesis scoffed, nudging Mr X with a lipless grin. Mr X only rolled his eyes grumpily.

“Bah, we’re roommates too. We also have a third roommate too. His name’s Steve.”

“Steve?”

_What a plain name for a BOW…_

Nemesis nodded.

“Mr X’s best friend, actually. But we all know he is his pet!”

Mr X’s chest heaved slightly. Nemesis was always joking about Steve being his pet, saying how mismatched they were. Nemesis didn’t know half of what they talked about, and if he did, he’d probably be traumatized.

“What kind of BOW is he?” Tish asked.

“A boring one.” Nemesis replied bluntly. He knew exactly what kind of thing Steve was, but he had promised Mr X, and Steve, to not reveal anything to anyone. “Let’s get to your dorms.” He quickly changed the subject, taking the lead. Tish followed eagerly, with Sallie and Mr X joining them.

“I’m so glad we’re rooming together.” Tish piped up to Sallie. “I don’t think I could handle meeting a new person at this hour.” Tish didn’t do well socially all the time, and right now she just wanted to get some rest. Sallie had to agree with her on that.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I could just chill for now. A lot has happened.” Sallie responded, already feeling herself aching for the taste of sleep. 

Lawrence rode Tish’s back, piggy-back style, seemingly liked the elevated view, and he gazed around inquisitively at the new location. Tish hurried beside Nemesis, asking something to him. Sallie left her to it, slowing down so that she was beside Mr X. He was staggeringly tall against her, and she adored the violent strength that seemed to surround him, feeling strength and determination. She eyed him up, admiring the leather overcoat before looking up to see him staring back at her, and a small smile tugged at the end of his lips.

“So, guys!” Nemesis’s voice piped up, breaking the intimate barrier between Sallie and Mr X yet again. Mr X’s smirk tightened, as if stifling a chuckle, when he saw Sallie’s expression suddenly darken in annoyance. It seemed as if Nemesis was like an bothersome little brother to her too!

“What?” She asked firmly, looking ahead.

“Wanna do something now, despite it being late?” Nemesis piped up. “I know a really cool ice-cream parlour!”

Sallie cocked a brow, looking back at Mr X, and the burly tyrant smiled back at her. Nemesis scrutinized the pair of them, studying them firmly to find some subtle connection between the two. It was rather…unusual. Something deep about it, like they were talking to one another through their thoughts. He’ll have to interrogate Mr X about this! He decided to pester them. “Quit giving each other them goo-goo eyes and-!”

“CURFEW!” A voice squealed down the corridors, ringing sharply through the speakers, followed by static and awful high-pitched feedback. That sounded like that fucking muppet back in HR. “ALL STUDENTS MUST RETURN TO THEIR ROOMS, OR THEY SHALL BE PUNISHED!”

Sallie’s smile faded, as if cold water had been thrown over her, aggravated to have their moment ruined. Her hard glare looked away from Mr X, reluctantly.

“Fuck sake…”

Tish sighed unhappily, turning to Nemesis. She was having such a great time with him, if only they didn’t have such a ridiculously early curfew. Tish hoped, deeply, that Nemesis was getting the message that she liked him a lot, wanting to be good friends. Possibly more…

Praying to see him again tomorrow, she flashed him a smile.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” She asked hopefully, seeing Nemesis nodding eagerly.

“Of course! Gotta protect you from those weirdos!” He boomed, but it was evident he was really looking forward in seeing her again very soon. His statement ended in a shy chuckle, and he spun around to his big brother. Tish turned to follow Sallie as soon as she was ready to move, finding her exchanging gentle smiles at Mr X. Tish had to admit, seeing Sallie smiling ever so  _kindly_  was a strange sight, but she wasn’t complaining. It was nice to see, for a change, a twinkle of genuine happiness in her eyes.

“I’ll catch you later, Pumpkin.” Sallie replied gently, smiling. The T-103 waved shyly.

“See you soon.” He said quietly, returning to Nemesis’s side and the friends all waved goodbye. It was almost painful when they parted ways, and Sallie tried to stop herself from looking back at Mr X. She caved in and glanced over her shoulder, seeing Nemesis jabbering about something to Mr X. Sighing deeply, Sallie returned her gaze ahead, following the door numbers, using them as guides to find their room.

Soon, they found the room, the dormitory that will become their home for the next year or so. On bated breath, Sallie held her key up and pushed it into the lock.

“Here we go,” Sallie warned, turning the key and unlocking the door. The door opened to reveal a somewhat decently sized room. It appeared that their extra luggage has been brought up to their room while they were in lessons. There was a tiny kitchen in the corner, with the bedroom being the first room to be seen. It wasn’t exactly a five-star hotel, but with a bit of time, they could make this room comfortable. The carpet was a dirty dark brown, worn, and the walls were no better, ancient wallpaper that were peeling and torn from the corners. One day, Sallie and Tish will have to work this room. Maybe Sallie could get Tish to put blinds up again and watch her struggle in dismay while she ‘supervised’.

The girls entered and closed the door behind them, their eyes scanning their new living space.

“Friggin’ looks like something from Silent Hill.” Sallie sniggered, shaking her head. She approached the small en-suite bathroom, glaring at the dirty tiles and shower. “I just hope the shower works.”

Tish’s head appeared from the doorway with Sallie, looking around.

“It probably works. It’s just a question of whether it dispenses water or not.” Tish replied, examining the bathroom. She spun around to see her lumpy bed. She placed Lawrence down onto it, and he immediately disappeared under the covers like some sort of demented spider, making himself a little nest and falling to sleep immediately. Seeing that Lawrence had already claimed the bed, Sallie approached the spare bed while Tish investigated the closest, finding cobwebs and three broken hangers inside. “I’ve been to worse hostels, I’ll admit.”

“I’m just glad there’s a bed here.” Sallie murmured, recalling the many occasions she was forced to sleep on the floor. She sank onto the edge of her new bed, and pondered for a time, resting her chin into her hand. “Today was just weird…I was genuinely considering leaving today, but…” Her gaze fell. “I sorta enjoyed it. It was a difficult and scary start, but I think we can do it!”

Tish joined Sallie, carefully sitting on her bed and finding the purring little lump of Lawrence beneath the sheets. She chuckled softly, patting him affectionately.

“This place is a challenge, but I’m so curious to continue here. There’s something going on, and I must find out what it is.” Academics had never intimidated her, and she wasn’t going to let BOWs scare her away from learning now!

The brunette agreed with Tish. Academics were never a problem with her, and BOWs won’t be either. In fact, academics weren’t really a big hurdle for her when she was growing up...

Quickly, Sallie recalled that instant she was standing in front of the class, how intense everything seemed to be. She was about to mention that word: S.T.A.R.S. It seemed that the class were just  _expecting_  her to say it, but she held her tongue back. Lapsing into a sullen silence, Sallie thought deeply, grabbing her chin and frowned hard.

There was something planned here. Something was getting executed behind closed doors, and Tish and Sallie were in the centre of it. She didn’t know what, Wesker didn’t explain much to them. He was hiding something, his words vague and clever. How cold and calculated was a man such a Wesker. There was something he knew that he wasn’t going to admit. He knew something that Tish didn’t…

But Sallie _did_ …

Her hand ran up to her forehead and shut her eyes tight, her fingertips pushing hard into her temples as her mind rode across the tides of over-analysing. The dark thoughts were coming back. From what she recalled: Bio-Organic Weapons were created to…

Sallie suddenly found herself stranded in a deserted police station, corpses dotted on the floor in messy heaps of broken blood and torn limbs, their eyes wide in a desperate gawk after their departure. The city was dead. The air was filled with the smell of old blood and fire, everything destroyed by a BOW. She noticed she wasn’t alone, and turned to see-

“Hey, are you okay?” Tish’s voice brought Sallie back to reality quickly, stunning the woman for a moment and looked at Tish as if she was caught doing something illegal. Tish’s eyes were full of concern, watching her through the small glass panes of her glasses.

“Oh, yeah. Just tired.” Sallie dismissed it completely, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. “In a world of my own.” Somewhat true, she didn’t wish to give Tish an eyeful with the dark thoughts that were forming in her mind. Predictions, assumptions, situations… only Sallie should regard them. They were her own problems. Besides, she hated the idea of being a burden to anyone. Tiredly, Sallie stood up from her bed and approached the window, leaning against the wall and staring down, eyeing the darkening grey clouds up ahead.

Wordlessly, Tish watched Sallie for a time. Tish knew Sallie had been through a lot. In fact, she’d been through some of the darkest, most painful shit a person could ever endure, and had came out of it from the other side. Sallie always had been that sort of person; When in Hell, keep on marching. Tish had never been on a field mission before, nothing like Sallie’s military past. She had only seen the grisly samples brought back by field agents after their gruelling ordeals. She’d been horrified by the dead creatures brought back into the lab, she couldn’t imagine seeing them alive and moving.

Tish glanced at Lawrence, and suddenly she realised she was thinking about BOWs… the same BOWs she’d spent the whole day with.

The lines between human and monsters were blurring.

Tish then joined Sallie at the window, leaning on it to peer outside.

A few BOWs flew across the skies outside, shrieking like banshees in the distance as if saying goodnight to their own kind. Down below, a zombie ambled aimlessly on the football field, clearly unsure what it was doing. Tish felt bad for finding it amusing. “What do you think of the boys?” Sallie asked suddenly, wishing to kill the silence before Tish began to question her.

“I think Nemesis is a loud-mouth, but he’d got a good heart. Mostly.” Her forest-green eyes flicked at Sallie, finding her staring at the zombie, and despite the comical topple of the zombie, Sallie did not smile. Something was bothering her, and Tish wasn’t sure whether to ask. So, instead, she mentioned something that she knew would make Sallie feel better. “Mr X seems like a friendly, sensitive guy.” She grinned mischievously. “He seems to like you a lot.” Her tone was gentle cajoling, meaning to lightly tease Sallie about the tall, mysterious BOW she seemed so bonded to already.

_Funny, considering he is the enemy…_

That thought pained Sallie. When Mr X finds out…

“Nemesis obviously likes you too much to ‘just be friends’.” Sallie smirked briefly, trying to turn the ‘flirt game’ onto Tish, and watching her blink in shock. “Don’t give me that bullshit reaction, woman.” Sallie sneered playfully, shaking her head and turning her attention back onto the zombie, who laid still on the mud. “Mr X is a sweetheart. I love being around him, he makes me feel-” Realising that she had said too much already, she furiously shook her hands at the grinning Tish. “N-No! Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!”

Tish immediately pounced onto Sallie like a horrible bird of prey.

“Oh really? You like him a lot, do you? Is it the tall, dark and handsome thing he’d got going on, eh?” She asked, her voice mixed with her bright laughter. It had been a long time since she’d felt like a silly, giddy schoolgirl. And she was going to enjoy this! Her own schooling had been so uneventful and boring, as well as wasted, socially speaking. She was enjoying this very much, and despite the furious glare from Sallie, Tish knew that she never meant any of the dagger-eyes, that behind those stormy blue eyes, Sallie herself was enjoying this.

“Fuck off, wench!” Sallie cried out, holding back a laugh as she fanned her hand at Tish, as if doing so would shoo her away. It wasn’t effective at all. But she was struggling to stop herself from giggling and was doing a terrible job of it. Suddenly, she felt human again. “No! No! That’s not what I meant! I mean, yeah, sure, he’s sweet,  _really_  handsome. But damn, those arms and- _No!_  Stop, don’t encourage me!” Finally, Sallie howled laughing, seeing the elation grow in Tish’s eyes as Sallie just proved her right. She pulled a mock-angry face. “I’m an Amazonian woman that has no feelings!”

Tish was giggling and snorting, her stomach beginning to hurt with the force of laughter.

“Is he your big sexy pumpkin, yeah?”

“Fuck off, Theresa!”

Tish ignored Sallie’s playful pleas, miming swishing a coat around.

“Or is it the way he’s dressed?” Tish almost fell to the floor breathlessly, loving this moment to abject silliness, and it was certainly wonderful to see Sallie unexpectedly looking animated by it too.

“When I marry him, I’ll tell you the reason” Sallie grinned, tapping her nose. “Military secret!”

Sallie hated Tish. So  _fucking_  much! Everything she had said was so true, and she hated her for reading her emotions too well. Then again, she did call him Pumpkin, and that tend to happen when she felt affection for someone. She would give them a cute pet-name. Damn, it had been far too long…

When the laughter calmed down, Sallie sighed, smiling, taking in several deep breaths. “Honestly, I hate to admit it Tish, but there’s something about him that I really like…he just makes me feel happy.” Sallie casually scratched her neck, her dark brows furrowing again. “I doubt he’d feel the same way, though…”

 _He can’t. He_ won’t! _He’s a BOW, you’re S.T.A.R.S…_

Sallie held onto her forced smile, trying not to show any signs of distress with her thoughts. Her gaze returned to the window, grabbing the handle and with a hard push, she opened it wide. “At least I’m smooth about it! Nemesis is fucking awful at the whole flirting thing with you!”

“Subtlety is really not his wheelhouse, is it?” Tish agreed with a small flush. “He’s incredibly forward with his intentions, and I sort of like it. He’s a big dumb goof, but he’d honest at least.” A refreshing breeze came in through the open crack of the window, and it felt good on her overly warm skin. She always felt too warm. She used to spend time in the cold storage just to feel comfortable. At least the evenings were pleasantly cool.

Sallie hummed in agreement, admiring the scene down below. This was going to be their new home. She’d better get used to it. The grim weather was fine, of course. It reminded her of England. Curiously, Sallie leaned out of the window, gazing her surroundings further ahead. She looked up to the upper levels of the dormitories room, and found a zombie hanging out of the window. A small smirk tugged at her lips.

“Hanging in there, dude?” She asked, amused. The zombie did not respond. Nor moved.

Uninterested by the lack of reaction, Sallie continued to look around, her gaze falling beneath her-

Then, hastily, Sallie leaned further down, her hands gripping onto the thin windowsill.

“Hm, you okay Sal?” Tish asked, a little baffled by her sudden movement.

Sallie ignored Tish, her eyes hard onto her point of interest.

Beneath her, she noticed a being leaning out of a small window, also admiring the cool weather. He had brown hair, a pair of glasses and seemed to be wearing pyjamas. No, this wasn’t normal.

The being was male. Unmistakably human!

Suddenly, without thinking, Sallie yelled.

“Hey!”

The human looked up and their eyes matched, mirroring her horror. For a moment, they stared at one another, both trying to compromise what they were seeing, until realization hit them both. He quickly retreated inside, slamming the window shut. “No you fucking don’t!” Sallie warned before backing from the window, bursting into life. Tish staggered back, watching Sallie leaping towards the door.

“Sallie, what-?!”

“Stay here!” Not expecting, nor wanting, a reply, Sallie hurried out of the safety of their dorm-room and into the dark, murky corridor. Tish was surprised by Sallie’s sudden departure from the room, having randomly shouted outside at someone. She wasn’t about to be left behind though. Lawrence was out asleep, so she figured why not. Dismissing Sallie’s order, Tish followed promptly.

“You’re not ditching me that easily!” She yanked the door closed as she hurried out of their dorm, darting after Sallie, her feet squelching against the desperately, disgusting carpet. Sallie wasn’t listening, already quickly making a mental map in her head, to figure out where that human came from. They were directly below them, so…

“Sallie!” Tish hissed from behind, trying to not rouse suspicion. Sallie slowed down, eventually being reunited with Tish, who was trying to catch her breath from her sprint. Sallie shot Tish a mildly annoyed glance, a little distraught to have her following her. But she knew she couldn’t get rid of Tish that easily. She had proven this several times when they were younger. “Hey, what did you see?”

“I think I saw another human.” Sallie informed, watching Tish’s eyes widen in surprise.

“ _Another_  human?!” Tish piped up, dropping her voice to a whisper the last moment. “Where?”

“Directly below us, and I’m gonna speak to him. Surely, he’ll give us more information about what’s going on. He must have been here  _way_  longer than we have. Maybe he can help us.” Sallie continued her persistent march, not allowing Tish to delay. Recalling her mental map, Sallie hurried down the darkened flights of stairs, trying to visualise her way. Tish followed closely, intrigued with Sallie’s discovery. This would be a blessing for them both! If this human could help them…

But she wondered if there was a reason why this human was hiding, especially since such a fuss had been made when Sallie and Tish enrolled hours ago. But Sallie was correct, perhaps this person would give them the answers that others were resisting in saying!

Tish almost walked into Sallie when the sergeant major halted before a door and knocked on it sporadically without thinking. “We need answers. I’m not gonna play the fucking waiting game.” Sallie added, her eyes firmly staring at the door, waiting for it to be opened. As Sallie waited impatiently, Tish’s eyes began to wander.

That was when she got an odd feeling.

Dread was creeping up her spine, and she got the distinct feeling that they were being watched. Something told her not to look up. Tish froze rigid to the spot.

Sallie, on the other hand, was persistent in meeting this new person. She grumbled resentfully. Nothing. The bastard was hiding! She had been through this before, and she refused to back down from the possibility of finding answers.

Her fist clenched harder as she exhaled irritably loud now, and punched her fist at the door, much harder, thudding against the wood brutally. “Hey! Quit hiding! I know you’re in there! I just wanna talk to you, please!”

Another brief pause.

Nothing.

Sallie opened her mouth and prepared to knock the door as hard as she can, but seized on the spot, suddenly feeling very cold. Then Sallie felt it too. Something lurking in the darkest shadows of the corridor. The sensation of not being  _entirely_  alone. The corridor was chilled suddenly. That was when Sallie felt a low, mild rumble, subtle enough to be easily dismissed, but both the women felt it. The source to the sound was unknowing, coming across everywhere, disorientating. When Tish turned to Sallie, she felt her heart sink to find Sallie suddenly looking aggressive. “Tish. Hide.” Came the abrupt command.

Tish’s head whipped left and right, feeling her throat tighten as she gazed down the featureless corridor, with no such things to produce a great hiding place. On top of that, the feeling of pure terror that had enveloped her was slowing her brain down to a frightful halt. She was too frightened to move! “ _Tish!_ ” Sallie hissed urgently, feeling briefly annoyed to find Tish remained by her side. But that was when, very quickly, Sallie had noticed too. The corridor was empty. There was nowhere to hide. The sensation was getting closer, and something painfully daunting told them they should not be here. Sallie began to frantically bang both fists onto the door. “Hey, open up!”

By command, a door opened, and it took Sallie a moment to realise it was not the door she wanted entry. That door remained closed.

It was the door  _behind_  her that opened.

Sallie, slowly, turned around, her eyes forcing themselves to face the opened door, and found one of the immense Elite Tyrants peering through the tall doorframe, dressed in a simple, black nightgown. Sallie recognised him. 071.

His eyes widened to find the humans standing in the correct, aware that they were in a dangerous place to be, at the  _very_  wrong time. They watched as the Elite Tyrant’s face changed, clearly battling with his thoughts about the situation, uncertain. Then he glanced nervously to the room.

“Um…boss?” He needed 069’s opinion about this, and Sallie heaved a deep groan.

“Fuck…” This wasn’t going to be easy to settle with.

Despite this, Tish had more pressing concerns. By now, that horrible, insidious feeling was snaking into her spine, gripping onto her, almost suffocating, and the compulsion to look up urged. Her eyes flew to the ceiling at last, and as she suspected, something huge and menacing was hanging from the ceiling.

It was an enormous, insect-like creature, humanoid-looking, with a long scorpion tail and giant claws. It’s chattering mandibles never stopped moving, its face moved rapidly as it apparently attempted to identify her.

Tish took in a sharp breath but couldn’t even scream.

The inhale of bated breath was enough to tell Sallie they were in immediate trouble. Sallie didn’t risk a moment to see what Tish was seeing. She noticed the genuine fear in her eyes, her face washed in mute-horror. Sallie instantly jarred into military alarm. Snatching Tish by the shoulders, she forced her to move, pushing her into the inviting doorway of the Tyrants’ room.

“ _Move it!_ ” Sallie commanded, charging Tish towards the room, passing between 071’s legs, and the poor Tyrant cried out in horror, instinctively cupping his groin to hide anything from the small women, despite wearing underwear.

A hiss eerily leaked from the corridor behind Sallie. But she pressed on, feeling the door slamming shut behind her. Tish saw  _something_  in that corridor! As 071 slammed and locked the door shut, Sallie stumbled onto Tish’s heel, forcing both to collapse onto the floor in a sprawling mess.

Tish was grateful to be free from the corridor, locked safely into another room away from the creature. It was so horrific; she didn’t want to see it ever again! But when she stopped and looked around, she realised they were, in fact, in 071 and 069’s room. The air was dense with the scent of male musk, a strong stench of sweat. Yes, this was certainly a ‘guy room’.

Sallie stared up at 071, who stared back down at them, clueless and almost terrified.

_Ahh, wasn’t this the ‘inferior Tyrant’ 069 had a nasty habit of controlling? The ‘runt’ of the gang?_

Perhaps he was the youngest out of the four Elites, she wasn’t sure.

For a long time, they stared at one another, the silence softly interrupted by the sound of a shower running in the other room. Tish figured it must be 069, finding the Elite Tyrant’s jacket tossed onto the floor carelessly. Still, no windows were open, the air thick and pungent.

 _The bigger the guy, the bigger the stink…_  Tish thought.

“Um…sorry about that,” Sallie said eventually, and 071 didn’t reply, hesitant. He looked awkward, like a teenage boy surrounded by pretty girls. He didn’t know what to say, or  _do_ , exactly. 069 was in-charge, in _any_  situation. And since the Alpha Male was not in company with him right now…

“We were on a secret mission!” Tish said suddenly, her tone serious. Sallie shot a look at her, finding her true intention behind her gaze. Mischievous. She was in the mood to mess with the Elite Tyrants. Sallie instantly caught wind of her little game and smirked back knowingly. “It’s classified!”

“Yes, we cannot give you details!” Sallie clasped her hands together and bowed her head. “But we are grateful. You saved two very important ladies during their mission. You shall be rewarded.”

The idea of a reward intrigued 071. Curiously, he squatted down to their height, his eyes wide and almost innocent. Naïve. How  _cute…_  He seemed far gentler in comparison to, say, his Leader.

“What reward?” Came the gentle boom from the Elite Tyrant. Sallie didn’t think that far ahead, and stammered, but Tish stepped forward and without missing a beat, she replied.

“You will get coffee tokens, good for a month’s supply of free coffee!” Tish responded, nodding in affirmation.

That comment shocked 071, at awe at them almost adorably.

“I knew there was more to you two when you got here. No way this place would start to admit regular humans.” 071 said with a charming grin, and Sallie felt Tish stagger slightly at the sight. Sallie felt the same wave of shock, but she didn’t show it, watching 071 carefully now. When the Elite Tyrant grinned, he revealed his teeth, two rows of sharp, serrated teeth, his canines almost like fangs. He seemed to have realised what he did, clapping his hands over his mouth and looked away in shame.

Tish made a small noise of sorrow when she noticed the Elite Tyrant retreating from the girls. He stood up quickly with his hands holding against his mouth.

“Hey,” Sallie called out, and 071’s head turned to the two small women beneath him. Tish watched Sallie place her fists onto her hips, regarding the Elite Tyrant with such a gentle significance she wasn’t sure if she was acting. “Don’t be shy. Your teeth don’t bother us.”

071’s hands slowly dropped, but he kept his mouth closed, completely conscious now.

“They don’t?” He murmured through tight lips, trying to hide them now.

“Of course not.” Tish agreed, looking at Sallie for a moment with a confirming smile. “We’ve seen worse. I mean, c’mon, have you seen  _Nemesis’_  teeth?”

The comment surprised 071 into hysterical laughter, and he revealed those shark-like teeth again. What a remarkable feature. Sallie had never noticed them until now. Maybe that’s why he lacked a smile?

“T-Thank you. My brothers always hate them.”

“Why?”

“They say they are not  _Elite Tyrant_  teeth. They say it’s a mutation.”

Sallie pouted thoughtfully for a moment.

“Well, they’re morons. Aren’t we  _all_  mutations of some sort?” Sallie asked. The adorable Elite Tyrant took a moment to think over Sallie’s comment, clearly uncertain what she meant, and the small woman shook her hand at him with a kind smile. “Never mind. Just be proud of it. It’s a beautiful smile!”

“Yes, very beautiful!” Tish agreed, and she wasn’t even joking. Sharks happened to be her favourite animal, and 071’s sharp grin reminded her of them so much. Plus, his wide eyes made him look even more ridiculously adorable!

071 looked like he was about to burst into tearful joy, reaching down for Sallie and scooping her up into his huge arms, clinging onto her firmly against his chest.

“That’s…the nicest thing anyone had ever said!” 071 beamed, swaying the small body left and right. Tish giggled to see Sallie’s legs limply dangle left and right. “Thank you, Captain! I-!”

071’s words halted then when he heard the  _clik!_  of a bathroom door opening, hot, churning mist rolling into the room and dousing their presence with it, like a glorious entrance of a saintly being. Everyone froze on the spot, looking up to see 069 appearing through the mist, freshly washed. He held a huge towel around his waist, hot water glistening from his hard muscles, emphasising the strength behind his arms and pecs. On both of his upper arms, he was tattooed with his batch number, and name, proudly. Matching black  **069** in a form of soldierly stencil font.

The Leader Tyrant halted when his gaze caught 071, finding him clutching onto a mute-dismayed Sallie, with a visibly-cringing Tish, who was inching closer to hid behind 071’s leg, away from the furious glare of 069.

071, after what was a painful moment of silence, finally choked a meek comment.

“Uh…I caught her, Boss?”

 

 

 


	10. Saddler, the University Councillor

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 9: Saddler, the University Councillor **

Tish stiffened coldly when she met the impending gaze of 069. This was about to get messy; she could tell. She took a brief step forward, however, ready to yell like a small dog barking at bigger dogs, if things got out of hand.

071 could feel the hard heartbeats in Sallie pumping against his fingers. The small woman was panicking, and he slowly held her onto his chest closer, as if to protect her from whatever wrath 069 was about to unleash. He didn’t like the silence. 069 was always one to yell and jeer, but when he was silent…it brought such anguish to 071. 069’s hard glare commanded him to release the woman, and ever so slowly, 071 placed Sallie back down onto the floor.

Unable to stand the silence anymore, 071 wrung his fingers together.

“Uh…they were on a mission…” He pathetically echoed, knowing for sure that the comment won’t dismiss 069’s growing fury.

“Listen.”

069’s gaze fell hard onto Sallie, who was approaching him, and she felt the weight of his fierceness behind it. “Don’t get mad. We were looking for someone, and some creepy-ass creature was outside. We ran in here.” That was the basics of it. She didn’t need to go into any details about their true intentions anyway.

She didn’t had time to anyway, as she watched 069’s stormy expression switched almost instantly to fear.

“Saddler? Was Saddler following you?” He demanded, glancing anxiously at the door.

“It looked like a bug thing.” Tish answered. “It was on the ceiling.”

069 urgently shooed them away from the door, clutching at his towel protectively. He pulled the door open slightly and peered through the crack.

Something chittered loudly at him, accusingly.

“These are our hook-ups. They got lost on the way here. You mind? We’re trying to score in here!” He yelled at the thing. 071 stepped closer to Tish and Sallie, just as afraid of the corridor-monitor as the small women. Sallie held her breath, waiting for…

The creature screeched at 069, but it seemed to accept his answer. After a hesitate pause, they heard the alarming sound of enormous insect legs climbing up the wall outside. 069 slammed the door shut, locking it and sighed, turning to glare at the women. “You are fucking lucky that was Salazar’s flunkey, and  _not_  his boss Saddler.” He tightened the towel around his waist. “If he caught you, you’d be hosting parasites right now. You  _don’t_ wanna know how he gets them in you.” He chastised them, heaving another deep sigh of frustration.

“Thanks for saving us.” Tish visibly shivered, turning to 071 and giving him a small, nervous smile.

“Hook-ups. Nice.” Sallie murmured sullenly, her hard eyes reflecting at 069. “At least buy me fucking dinner first. Jeez.”

069 scowled, folding his arms frustratingly.

“You’re not staying in here.” He grumbled. “What the fuck were you doing out in the hall, anyway? And banging on Trenchy’s door this late?”

Sallie’s interest perk at that name, and her expression softened.

“Trenchy?”

“T-00.” 071 replied, almost a little too eagerly, before being silenced by a blazing glare from his leader.

 _I need more coffee. This is too much shit to deal with right now…_  Sallie thought heatedly, emitting an infuriated sigh. 071 thought it was rather adorable. She mirrored almost the same expressions as his leader. He realised that, perhaps, this was why 069 was so interested in her in the first place.

There was no way she was going to confess what she discovered to 069. Her gaze lifted curiously to the room, finding it to be a slightly messier version of their own dorm. Her attention was drawn to the huge beds, eyeing them up. 069’s bed was, no doubt, the one that was unmade, his blankets screwed up against the wall as if he had leapt out of bed from waking up late for lessons. 071 was rather adorable. Neat, his pillows fluffed up. Come to think of it, 071’s bed had more pillows than 069. He had a book tucked to the side of the bed, and 069 had magazines chaotically sprawled on the floor. She stirred a little to see a strange, large lump beneath the blanket of 069’s bed. It looked like a  _body_ …

Distracted, Sallie crept towards the bed while 071 winced against 069’s harsh glare.

A hand rubbed onto Tish’s forehead, her finger tapping on her skull as she thought through all the evidence they had discovered. The human was rooming with Mr X and Nemesis. Despite the dire situation at hand, she was a little intrigued to discover their room was directly below them.

“We need to speak to him about something very urgently. It’s secret, however, and we are bound by blood oath to keep it.” Tish said solemnly, as if this was the gravest importance.

069 rolled his eyes.

“You two are a pair of fucking tits, aren’t you?”

Tish grinned and nodded.

“Sallie is the juicer one, I’m the one that doesn’t fit in the cup properly and spoils the cleavage.”

071 snorted, trying hard to hold his laugh, but then burst out howling, a high-pitched giggle of one who had not expected to find something so hilarious. Disappointed in 071’s betrayal, 069’s glare hardened on Tish, and was dismayed to find that she didn’t flinch at it. Everyone flinched at him, and yet these two runts just ignored him.

“Boobs are boobs, though! All are beautiful!” 071 piped up happily, but quickly shut up when he noticed 069’s hateful stare. 071 played with his fingers for a time, calming down from his small giggle fit, and then remembered something. “This secret…we can help!” He excitedly looked at 069 with a pleading regard, only to receive the unmoved hard stare from his Leader. “Can’t we, ALPHA?” 071’s mind was roaming with all sorts of assumptions, and he gasped to realised what this secret could be, turning back to Tish. “Does Trenchy like you?”

“Unfortunately, no. But he  _does_  like someone.” Tish smirked, though she was uncertain if she should say who, in case they used it against him.

“He does?” 071 asked eagerly, bowing down to Tish’s height. She shook her head.

“I was hoping to see Nemesis, however.” She piped up suddenly, changing the subject. “We had a good time today, and I forgot to get his number.” It was a lie, that was one of the first things they did when they decided they wanted to speak often. But it seemed like a good additional excuse. “That, and the secret mission we’re on, of course!”

A little exasperated sigh left 069’s lips.

“You humans are the weirdest things; do you know that? Fucking weird.” He complained. He was vaguely aware of movement on his bed, and turned his head in time to see Sallie, poised and ready to whip the covers back from the large lump on his bed. He panicked but couldn’t react in time to prevent what happened next. He took a step forward, stalling.

Sallie yanked the corner of the blanket back, and her heart lunged to her throat to see a foot. But she barely had time to register that the foot, in fact, was simply printed on some sort of pillow-

Sharp knocking intercepted her thoughts, and she threw the blankets back down just as 069 hounded over her, pushing her further down the bed and trying to prevent her from seeing what was beneath. They stopped a moment later to hear the knocking, blinked at one another for a time and slowly turned to the door. 071 and Tish looked back at the door too, and Sallie knew she had not mistaken what she heard.

A familiar high-pitched voice barked from the other side of the door.

“ALPHA Tyrant 069, CHARLIE Tyrant 071! Open up on request of Lord Saddler!”

It was Salazar, and Tish felt an ominous presence lurking behind that door. Salazar was  _not_  alone.

071 frightfully scooped Tish away from the door, retreating towards the beds with 069 and Sallie, glancing at 069 in fearful uncertainty.

_Lord Saddler…_

Taking note of 069’s previous concern, Sallie’s heart began to throb painfully in her skull, and she looked up at 069 firmly.

“ALPHA, what do we do?” She hissed, hoping they wouldn’t be heard. “Salazar  _knows_  us.”

Something huge banged on the door, three long hard raps that shook the wood in its frame. A new voice intervened from the other side, this one was oily and insidious.

“Ladies…you should not be in there. It is against the rules for students to spend the night in each other’s rooms. Even for…sex.” Came the voice, the words wriggled under Tish’s skin like horrific worms. She shivered and pressed herself hard into 071’s chest, and he responded by covering Tish with his huge hand caringly.

“Shit. What do we do? Jump out of the window?” Tish whispered, desperately.

“They already know you’re here.” 069 said gravely. “You have to-”

The banging on the door came again louder. Hearing the urgency in the knocking, 069 moved towards the door, reaching out to grab the handle.

A shudder of increasing terror rode through Sallie, and she leapt off the bed after 069.

“Wait!” She commanded. “Don’t open it!”

When everyone turned and stared at her, she stood strongly. “They cannot enter, it is against the rules, right? Invasion of privacy! They have  _no right_ to gain access without permission or invitation. They are like Bailiffs. Unless they step foot inside this room, they are powerless-!”

Before Sallie could finish, a small  _‘Hmph!´_  was emitted behind the door, and then the door abruptly shot open, swinging off its hinges aggressively and thundered against the wall, the locks snapping off easily. Standing behind the door was the midget itself, Salazar, one leg poised up. Behind him loomed another figure.

 _Don’t tell me this little fucking muppet just blew the fucking door open with a kick?!_ Sallie fumed mentally.

Into the room stepped, or rather scuttled, the horrific Saddler. His humanoid body was swathed in purple cloth, one made of religious royalty, and his feet were bare and twisted, misshapen. He walked using four long, horrendous spider-like legs that emerged from his back. His face was set in a serene and yet entirely creepy expression. Glassy gaze looked up at the four students, who huddled together in a tight cluster, evidently disturbed by the intrusion.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but unfortunately I have the authority to tread whether I may to enforce University rules.” His focus turned to Sallie, only to notice the face of Tish peering through 071’s fingers. She clung onto 071 with all her might, urging him to somehow protect her from the inevitable. 071 had never seen Saddler before, only heard terrible rumours about him. He now completely understood everyone’s fear for the creature. He hunched lower against Tish, trying to use his whole body as a shield for the small human. “I must ask both of you young ladies to come with us.” Saddler said in the same calm tone of voice; his words weaving like pulsating worms through the air. He beckoned with one hand towards them, and immediately 069 stepped in front of Sallie, glaring at the creature.

“Get out of my room, unless you want me to grab the newspaper.” He threatened lowly. But it did not move Saddler.

“I wouldn’t want to have to report you to the Dean now, ALPHA.” Saddler replied mildly, but the threat worked instantly to terminate 069’s rebellious nature and the Elite Tyrant hung his head in furious shame.

Sallie’s expression was grave. Deeply troubled by the presence of this god-awful creature. His appearance was disturbing, of course, but it was his voice…his  _words_. So eerily close to a calming lullaby that held the undertone of death waiting for her. His calm demeanour was not going to fool her. She took a step beside 069, placing a hand on his leg as if to subtly warn him of her presence.

“We can escort ourselves back to our rooms.” She informed Saddler sternly, challenging his power in this education system. She wasn’t sure if this was going to be accepted, probably not. Deep down she could already feel the doubt forming, but she refused to let him win.

Saddler smiled, it was something so disgusting and intrusive that Tish felt violated just by the sight of it.

“You aren’t going back to your rooms.” He informed them with an air of absolute menace about him. In that instant, the insect-like creature stepped into the room, followed closely by its twin. Verdugos. Tish cried out in horror to realise it was the same creature she had encountered; they were a lot bigger than what they’d appeared to be. One of the Verdugos snapped a sharp look at Sallie, and the woman approached it, challenged now.

“Fucking try me-!”

She didn’t have time to respond what happened next. The Verdugo snatched Sallie up in its long bug arms, creating a cage of chitin around her and it clung around her suffocating. Sallie thrashed against it, bellowing insults at Saddler before glaring up at 069. He did nothing, sharing a serious yet sorrowful gaze. They both knew he was powerless in this situation.

071 screamed at the approaching Verdugo, turning his back away from it to protect Tish, but it was futile. Swiftly, the insect-creature lunged through the small gap between his arm, writhing against his body, its pinchers seemingly stabbing at the poor Elite Tyrant, and he reached out to slap it away, but was dismayed to have realised it quickly snatched Tish from his clutches, caging her in the same secretion as Sallie. 071 watched in panic to see the insect stealing Tish from him and returning to its twin, Tish struggling in its trap, her skin raking against its rough exoskeleton.

“No, please!” 071 cried out, turning to 069 helplessly as the Verdugos took the girls away. “Boss, help me!”

But still, 069 remained unmoved, held down by the arrogant stare of Saddler.

“You two have a nice night now.” Saddler told the Elite Tyrants and scuttled after his two minions. Salazar strutted after him like the smuggest little lap down in existence, slamming the door as he left.

The instant they were gone, 071 leapt for the door, but hesitated, turning back to 069 in utter fear.

“Why did you not do anything?” He cried, his hands waving in animated dread. “Sadder took the pretty girls away! What can we do?”

His leader knew what would happen if they didn’t act. There was nothing he could do; Saddler would be expecting him to do something. But maybe Trenchy…

“Follow me.” He said gruffly, approaching his door and opened it. 071 meekly followed him. 069 stomped across the hall and pounded at Mr X’s door loudly. “Open up. Your pals are in trouble!” He yelled impatiently. Above them, some lingering Lickers scattered in fright at the tone of 069’s voice.

071 shivered beside him, looking around, frightened despite being one of the largest BOWs on campus.

“D-Do you think they let the centipede out tonight?” He squeaked, his voice shuddering. “I know it gets rid of vermin, but it’s fucking horrible…”

“Do shut up.” 069 abruptly hissed, pounding at the door again. “WHAT ARE YOU GUYS, DEAF?”

Eventually, the door opened. Nemesis was at the door, and he blinked tiredly for a time, glaring up at the looming Tyrants. Nemesis was awful at waking up, and to be disturbed by the knocking was a terrible idea. This was unusual, this was the second time the Elite Tyrants had knocked on their door. The first time was to demand answers for an exam, in which Nemesis had lied about and gave them wrong answers on purpose. That night was awful…

Nemesis looked at 069 and 071, staring at them for a time, then he noticed that 069 was standing in nothing but his towel. He grumbled and looked over his shoulder.

“Hey Trenchy, 069 had finally came out of the closet. I think he wants sexy-time now!” he called out, making no effort in joking due to the drowsiness that clouded his mind.

069 wrinkled his face in disgust.

“If I ever found out I liked dicks, I wouldn’t want one that was technically related to me, you fucking grot bag!” 069 heaved a grumble. “Quit joking. Your two girl-pals were taken by Saddler.”

“Seriously dude, they were out here knocking on your door and the bug lord found them and ratted them out to Salazar. He went to Saddler and he’s got them now!” 071 was babbling quickly, still shocked to have actually met the horrible councillor himself.

Nemesis nodded slowly while he closed his eye, listening to 069 as if bored. But then, soon, his words settled, and Nemesis’s expression changed from boredom to grave horror in an instant.

“Saddler?! He took Tish and Sallie-!” Then another pressing matter occurred. “Wait…how did you know?” He looked frantically behind them, seeing their door open, his mind reeling. “Were they in your room? They were in your room, weren’t they?” He gawked at the towel, swiftly aligning his thoughts with his stupid logic. “Oh my god, you and Sallie had the sex!” He looked back and hollered into the dorm. “Trenchy! Trenchy! Dickbag Tyrant took your girl’s flower!”

It was then, finally, they heard a chair toppling over by some brute force, and the infamous thuds of boots quickly approached them, and then the daunting figure of Nemesis’s older brother appeared in the doorway, glaring accusingly at 069 and 071.

069, though normally, would have  _loved_  to let T-00 think he’d done that, was more concerned with getting the girls to safety.

“We did  _not!_  You lipless mong! 071 dragged them into our room to save them from the bug lords!” He protested, astounded as always at Nemesis’s ability to turn every situation into a big joke.

071 nodded frantically, backing up his boss’ statement.

“I did! Yeah! I was also worried about the centipede-!”

“THERE IS NO FUCKING CENTIPEDE, IT’S AN URBAN LEGEND!” 069 burst out in frustration.

Nemesis soon seemed to have risen to reason, his comical sense of humour turned, and he faced Mr X with an expression of significance. Mr X did not remove his hot glare from 069, dagger-eyes of hatred fixed onto the Elite Tyrant. Nemesis wasn’t surprised. Mr X and 069 were  _always_  rivals. So to actually go out of his way to help them…

“He said Saddler took the girls away. We should probably go help them before they get rekt or something.” Nemesis reported.

Mr X said nothing, as usual, taking in what Nemesis said. He knew where they would be. Saddler didn’t scare him. Seeing no response, Nemesis looked at 069. “Hey, why were they out-?” He began, but stopped abruptly when Mr X shoved past him, leaving his room and passing the Elite Tyrants, his persistent march towards Saddler office began. Invigorated by his determination, Nemesis grinned, giving 069 and 071 a quick shrug. “Huh, can’t stop Mr X from chasing Sallie, huh? It’s okay, the pursuer trait is in our blood!” Nemesis stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him. “Thanks mates! We’ll go play hero now!” And he promptly followed Mr X, waving back at the Elite Tyrants. “Have fun jerking off to your waifu pillow or whatever you do!” And sprinted after his big brother.

071 blinked, turning back to 069 with an adorable questioning look.

“Waifu pillow?” He asked curiously.

His Leader did not respond. 069’s fists clenched so hard his bone creaked. He had no response to that smart-ass but decided against the idea of throttling him. He vowed he was going to get that prick back for all the mocking. 


	11. The Female of the Species

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 10: The Female of the Species **

Tish was only momentarily relieved when the bug-creatures finally plopped her and Sallie down onto the floor to a simply lit office, grey carpets spanned throughout the square room. Outside, it was dark now, boards of wooden planks nailed against the window as if to prevent as much sunlight as possible when daytime came. Inkling of the night crept into the room though. The desk had not been dusted for countless years, empty and boring except for a small photo portrait on the desk, bearing the image of the gross Saddler himself.

Saddler allowed the Verdugos to leave before he addressed the new students.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable…I must prepare some parasites for… _insertion_ …” He almost purred, closing the door behind him and the distinct noise of a heavy lock sounded shortly after.

Already, Tish scrambled from the floor and immediately tried opening the door, despite knowing it was fruitless. Sallie stood up slowly, her mind still writhing to that disgusting word.

“Pfft…insertion,”

“I hate the sound of that.” Tish said desperately. “I hate it very much. How are we getting out?” She turned to Sallie, praying that the military woman had a plan. Tish watched as Sallie approached the door carefully, peering through the keyhole and finding the presence of no one standing behind it.

_Fools._

“Got a hairclip handy?” Sallie asked idly. She knew the answer to it already, and began to frantically search around the office, scanning the floor to find a small crooked piece of wire, readjusting it so that it was straight enough to be put inside the keyhole. Grinning proudly, she shot towards the door again, kneeling before it and began to feed the wire through the keyhole. “I can kinda understand why ALPHA was so worried before. This Saddler moron is fucking gross…I don’t think I’ve seen such genuine fear in ALPHA’S eyes before.” That thought inflicted an image of a terrified 069, and Sallie’s smirk twisted cynically. “How cute.”

A distinct  _clik!_  sounded within the lock, and Tish eagerly stepped closer to the door, wanting to leave as soon as possible. “Piece of piss.” Sallie smugly announced. “It’s like lock-picking in a fucking horror game-” She pulled the wire out…and wasn’t expecting it to have snapped somehow. The door remained locked. Sallie pushed her face against the door, glaring through the keyhole in dismay. “ _Nani?!_ ”

A sigh of disappointment left Tish.

“Shit, sorry…” Tish mewed, casting her eyes down for a time.

“Well, that didn’t work. This is going to be more difficult than I had assumed.” Standing up, Sallie circled the room, her eyes scanning for anything that would spark another plan.

“There’s got to be something in here that’s of use.” Tish eyed the desk, hurrying to it and rifling through the drawers furiously. Sallie lingered in the corner of the room, staring up at the rusted gold-framed image of Saddler, sitting in his gross purple robes, and she shook her head.

“Gross bastard…” She murmured, placing her hand beneath the portrait and carelessly pushed it up, lifting the portrait off it hooks and allowing it to fall onto the floor with a heavy tumble. The crash startled Tish and she stifled a giggle to have seen what Sallie did.

“He looks better facing down.” Tish commented, turning back to the desk when Sallie left the lying portrait on the floor, dismissing it for the locked door, and began to scrutinise it. Tish eyed the bottom drawer, which was far larger than the others above it. When she attempted to open it, it didn’t shift. Tish eyed it suspiciously. It wasn’t locked, it was just  _heavy_. There must be some sort of secretive stash at the bottom drawer, and so she tugged at it harder. She managed to pull it out about halfway and found some sort of fleshy lump in it, pulsating and  _alive_.

A squeal of disgust escaped Tish as she lurched away from the sight, and finding the lump turning to look at her. Sallie instantly turned to find Tish screaming in horror, backing away from the desk as the insect-like blob started to climb out of the drawer. “IT’S A  _FACEHUGGER!_ ” It wasn’t a facehugger, but it appeared to be some large parasite, and it was creeping towards her quicker than what one would assume. Tish hurried away, searching for anything heavy to bash it, her eyes huge with panic.

Sallie rushed towards the scene, the blob-creature heavily flopping onto the ground and inched towards Tish. Sallie knew she was useless without her weapons, but she  _did_  have a defence that no one would understand but herself.

“I’m so fucking tired of this shit!” She held her arm out, forcing Tish to cram herself into the nearby corner. “Stay back!” Tish obeyed immediately, watching Sallie approach the creature and lifted her tanker boot high above it. “UNDERTAKER BOOT, ACTIVATE!” Came the battle-cry, and with a firm stomp, she landed her foot harshly onto the creature, which quickly squished against the cruel tread, and viscera erupted from it, spraying across the room, coating the carpet, office chair and the wall behind. Tish was caught in the crossfire and snapped her head away as she was bathed in the ick. The gross substance had ridden right up Sallie’s leg, caking her boot and sprinkling her shirt and face with it. She knew it was going to be a mess, but that was fucking  _dramatic_ …

Tish stood there, dripping and shaking, slowly turning her face back around to Sallie, who seemed to have shared the same mute-disgust as she did.

“Thanks for that….” She said quietly, wiping her cheek with her soggy sleeve. “…was in a bit of a pickle there.”

“You’re welcome…” Sallie replied slowly, feeling the beads of ick rolling down her face. Slowly lifting her foot, the remains of the blobby creature stuck against her shoe like gum, stretching in thick strings of guts. Sallie frantically grinded her boot onto the carpet, smearing its dead remains across the floor in vain hope to clean her boot. “Saddler is gonna be pissed about his dead lobster-thing.”

Despite the horrible situation, Tish found herself smirking.

“It was probably his lunch.” She chuckled and froze to hear faint yet bodied thuds of someone walking, persistently rushing towards their destination. She realised that she could hear  _two_  pairs of feet, equally deep and heavy. Tish then took a hold of her emotion, and burst into hysterics, turning to the door. “Who do you think is coming?”

Sallie heaved, her face becoming a storm of anger swiftly.

“Fucking Finlay and Hornswoggle?”

She meant Saddler and Salazar.

“Not scuttly enough,” Tish pointed out, stepping across the squishy carpet to tentatively approach the door. Sallie followed Tish, pressing her ear against the door and tried to listen to it, closing her eyes to focus on the sounds. Tish had a very good point. It seemed too heavy for Saddler and Salazar, and she didn’t hear their grating and sickening voices discussing their plans for them. She first assumed 069 trying to play hero, but they were not even heavy enough…

The floor rumbled softly, but it did not quake. Tish studied Sallie’s expression, watching her frowning for a time, and when her eyes opened, she didn’t like the way she looked. Sallie looked dissatisfied, lost in thought, backing away from the door and pulled Tish close to her, waiting for the door to burst open.

They waited, Tish feeling her heart slowing down into a chilling halt to hear the feet approaching the door, and they stopped  _right_  behind it. 

An unsettling pause.

Then they heard someone groan a sigh of irritation behind the door.

“Fuck sake, whenever I get to a good part of a dream, why do I always get woken up?”

That moaning bastard was Nemesis.

“Nemmy!” Sallie laughed in relief, seeing Tish already rushing to the door.

“Nemmy, we’re in here!” Tish cried out, desperately banging her hands against the door. “Please hurry!” She felt Nemesis pressing himself against the door.

“Don’t worry, we’re here!” He called out. “We’re gonnna-Oh…um…you might wanna step away.”

“Why-?” Tish had barely managed to ask when she felt Sallie yanking her away from the door, backing off to the other side, holding her against her chest with her back towards the door.

“Don’t ask, just do!” Sallie warned, holding her firmly. There was the sound of shuffling on the other side, and then something incredibly strong collided with the door. The door gave way easily, pulverised by the sheer strength behind the impact. Mr X flew through it like it was mere paper, landing with his fist outstretched and splinters rained all over his coat, carpeting the floor messily around him.

The dust of the broken door began to settle after a time, and Mr X emitted a deep exhalation, straightening up and began to dust the splinters off his leather overcoat. Peering around the corner of the broken doorframe, Nemesis’s face popped around, his lipless smirk on his mutated face.

“Room-service, anyone?” Nemesis grinned.

Mr X’s eyes fell onto Sallie, and he smiled lightly at the sight of her relieved face, approaching her quickly. Promptly, the friends reunited together.

Tish darted over to Nemesis, reaching out to hug him, but remembered all the ick she was covered in.

“I’ll hug you when I’m clean.” She promised him, sheepishly. But Nemesis did not care. He instantly scooped the woman in his arms, holding her tightly and burying his face into her shoulder.

“I don’t care!” He promptly replied. “Are you okay? Did Saddler put something in you?” His expression was grave, incredibly concerned like a panicking mother. “How long have you been in here for?”

“He didn’t put anything in us, thankfully.” Tish replied, pointing to the mess on the floor. “But something came out of the drawer, so Sallie kicked it to death.” She explained, nuzzling into Nemesis’s chest and found him to be much warmer than she expected.

“Good old Sallie and her temper...” Nemesis chuckled, cradling her for a time.

Sallie hurried to Mr X, leaping into his chest eagerly, dismissing the splinters and the ick.

“Oh my god, thank you!” She whispered in a panicked gasp, burying her face into the lapels of his coat. They were cold to the flesh, but they shielded her face from the world, the warmth from his abdomen subtle yet welcoming. Mr X held onto the small woman for a long and perfect moment before he scooped her up in his burly arms, holding her close and headed for the door. He gave Nemesis a hard look, communicating without words that they needed to move quickly.

“Aye-aye, Captain!” Nemesis saluted, taking Tish by the hand and following them out. He felt Tish lean closer to his side.

Something about the University that hadn’t really hit Tish was just how many things scuttled around in the darkness after everyone was in their dorms asleep. Perhaps the whole concept of this Curfew was not to station students back into their rooms but was more of a  _warning_. BOWs, that were apparently too reliant on instinct with no higher thought, hunted each other in the dark, and their chittering, moaning and slithering was terrifying.

“Hey, Nemmy…is the centipede just an urban legend? There isn’t really one of those scuttling around…is there?”

Nemesis stalled for a time, uncertain how to answer her. Then he shook his head furiously.

“We don’t talk about the centipede.” He dismissed quickly, hurrying through the broken doorway and followed Mr X’s lead. Mr X looked left and right, down the halls and inspected it for any sense of movements. Satisfied that they were alone, he waved his gloved hand, indicating the coast was clear and began to start back towards the stairs. His younger brother followed him, leading Tish at a blistering pace, being able to take a step three times as long as hers, and she lingered behind him. Tish was okay though, she trusted Nemesis to protect her, but it did little to quell the fear mounting in her mind.

Nemesis glanced over his shoulder to see Tish struggling, and tutted. “Fucking tiny legs.” Nemesis sighed, lifting Tish off the ground and carried her in his arms, finding it much easier to catch up with Mr X’s pace. A small yelp came from Tish when she was pulled.

“You know, if you keep doing this, I’ll get used to it and come to expect it.” She informed him playfully, covering her fear. Nemesis leaned down closer to Tish; his voice dropped to a whisper.

“Well, you better get used to it, princess. Because I ain’t gonna wait around long with your tiny legs!” Nemesis replied with his infamous lipless grin.

“They weren’t kidding about the curfew warning.” Sallie murmured, looking up at Mr X from where her head rested on his chest. His face was fixed in stern concentration.  _A man on a mission…_  “If I had known this shit would happen, I wouldn’t have left.”

“Why  _did_  you leave anyway?” Nemesis asked, his voice bouncing off the walls from behind Mr X. “I thought you humans would be far more tired than us.” Ironically, Nemesis yawned after this statement.

“I’m nocturnal,” Sallie joked lightly, then her expression grew dark when she looked at Mr X, her voice small suddenly. “I saw someone. A human…”

Mr X’s pace faltered, and he looked at Sallie in alarm.

“You saw?” He asked, finding his voice in his moment of terror. Mr X saw Sallie looking back at him, her gaze in genuine seriousness. She lowered her voice to a whisper, keeping their conversation private between them, as Nemesis began to cradle Tish in his arms, impressing her and taking her mind off the recent fear that had consumed her. She seemed to really enjoy Nemesis’s silly nature, being the big goofball that he was since the very first instant they met. Tish was giggling, distracted.

“I saw a human…I think he was in your room.” When Mr X said nothing, Sallie added: “Mr X, do you know who I mean?”

Mr X was reluctant, but he refused to lie to her. Slowly, he nodded once, admitting the truth. He was praying that she would not be too angry at him for not letting her know sooner, but was surprised to find her nodding back softly, not a flicker of anger in her eyes. But confusion followed. “Is there a reason why he’d hiding?” She whispered. “He seemed pretty scared when we saw each other.”

Mr X wanted to answer Sallie’s question, but he didn’t have the right words. He was spared from having to answer it right away when his brother quizzed him.

“Um, big bro…what are we gonna do if Saddler questions us about the FUCKING HUGE HOLE IN HIS OFFICE?!”

Mr X shrugged a little, as if saying:  _Well shit._

Eventually, they had returned to their rightful floors. Mr X and Nemesis brought Sallie and Tish back to their door, making sure they returned safely and in one piece.

“Saddler is gonna fucking rage-quit when he sees it!” Nemesis cried out, his voice picking up panic from their grave error. Mr X took a deep breath.

“Can’t insert. Won’t let.” He simply remarked.

Tish had not considered they might get into trouble for helping them. Guilty, she looked at Nemesis.

“I’m sorry we got ourselves into this mess.” Tish mewed softly. “We just really wanted to meet the other human we saw.”

“Don’t be foolish, we’re okay!” Nemesis waved his hand at her, dismissing her apology. “That Saddler guy is a right fucking creep, and-” He stopped when he realised Tish mention of the human, and quickly looked at Mr X for support. Seeing his reaction, Nemesis paused and reconsidered replying somehow.

Mr X nodded once with a roll of his eyes, saying:  _Go on. You might as well._

“Um…we’ll talk about that another time. Promise. We gotta get you both back to your rooms.” Nemesis placed Tish down gently, coaxing her towards her door. “We need to be up early. Class starts at 9AM.” He flashed her another grin.

Tish smiled brightly, saluting the wrong way.

“9AM, got it!” Then she turned around and faced him again. She’d never really been one for big, goofy smiles; hers was a little crooked and showed a little too much teeth. But Nemesis made her more confident; his smiles were the biggest and most charming smile she’d ever seen!

Sallie regarded Mr X kindly. She didn’t hate him for not disclosing the human’s presence, of course not. Surely there must be another reason for it.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging his face, pressing her cheek against his neck. “Thank you for coming to help us, too. It was my fault.” Her words were almost a little purr of adoration. She found her hand gently stroking at his cheek subtly, taking in the strange grooves of his flesh and found it comforting. She had not seen another BOW with such a complexion, and feeling it reminded her that this was the one and only Mr X.

The touch ignited something in Mr X that he never knew existed. He felt an uncontrollable urge to respond to her intimate touch. And so, ever so gently, his huge finger glided across her perfectly smooth human skin. She was so warm and alive; he could practically see the vitality emanating from her. He watched her cheeks flush in a soft shade of rose-pink, the small sign of affection catching her off-guard. She beamed shyly, her smile in genuine adoration for the first time, and she nuzzled against his palm.

For a moment, the nightmares around them were gone.

“Stay safe.” He breathed.

“So, whenever Trenchy and Knighty stop being soppy, we can get a move on!” Nemesis barked obnoxiously, noticing how close and intimate they were getting. Nemesis didn’t wish to ruin their moment. It was rather adorable how his big brother was trying to score. But they had more pressing matters to be concerned of. “Saddle-Ass will be hunting.” He reminded them, facing Tish and flicked a frail lock of her hair from her face. “We’ll see you in the morning. Don’t go running off again, you moron.” His words were gentle, playful, and of course he flashed another grin at her, adoring Tish’s eyeroll at him. “Have a good night!”

They waved at one another as they departed. Mr X could hardly tear himself away from Sallie, but he managed somehow. He could feel Sallie’s eyes holding onto him, grasping for him to stop and come back. But they both knew they needed to return to their dorms.

Once the Tyrants were gone, Sallie sighed sadly, turning around to see Tish quickly opened their door and darting inside, rushing to her bed to check on Lawrence. She whipped the blankets over, finding the snoring Licker on his back, his tongue hanging out of his open jaw. Tish tutted at the sight, like a mother chastising her child for his ill-manners. “Trust you, Tongue-Boi.” She chuckled to herself, feeling relief and calmness returning to her completely, glad to be safe.

Sallie closed the door behind her, leaning her back against the door and looked sorrowful for a time, her mind etched in puzzlement.

For a first day to this new University, Sallie had a lot to think over. A  _lot_  to reconsider. Those bastard Elite Tyrants, Wesker, Saddler, zombies… _everything_.

_No, I can do this! I can get through this! This is merely more training!_

She watched Tish for a moment, her mind becoming a blank as she watched the human canoodle her Licker, scratching his chest and giggling at his swinging foot.

“Hey Sal! He’s riding an invisible bicycle!” Tish laughed, trying to stop the mounting giggles from becoming too loud to wake up the Licker. Sallie gave her a tired smirk, finally pushing herself off the door and approaching her bed.

 _I have to protect Tish. Protect her from everything…She’s what I’ve got left_ …

The sight of the bed seemed to have triggered Sallie’s compulsion to sleep, and so she collapsed onto it, and was asleep before her face hit the pillow.

*

Saddler and Salazar glared at the state of Saddler’s office door, scrutinizing the rough, crumbling doorframe. The door was on the floor, concaved in a strange bow shape. For a long moment, the pair just gawked at the room, scrutinizing it as if it was a crime scene and they were trying to understand it.

Saddler finally spoke.

“The female of the species is far more deadly than the male, it seems.”

“Indeed!” Salazar piped up, unimpressed.

This was certainly going to be interesting… 


	12. The Virus of Life

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 11: The Virus of Life **

The following morning, Tish did not want to wake up. The instant she roused from her slumber, her eyes burned with fatigue and her bones ached. She had a terrible sleep. Beside her, Lawrence was scratching at the window, and it took her a few moments to realise that he was busting for the bathroom. Stumbling out of her bed, she quickly unlocked the window and pushed it open, allowing the Licker to scramble out of the window and crouched in the gutter.

Tish yawned loudly, stretching in the centre of the room and stood there for a time, mentally reminding herself to have a better sleep tonight, and to not wander around the hallways. She turned to see Sallie still covered in her sheets, an arm hanging out from the side of the bed, snoring. Her mass of brunette hair a frizzy clue to her struggles to sleep the previous night.

“Come on, old bean.” Tish said tiredly, her voice loud enough to provoke Sallie awake. “Studies today, eh what?” Tish took the small booklet from the top of her bedside table, checking the schedule to see what horrors waited for them. During this, Lawrence crawled back in through the window, looking more content. Tish smiled at him, rubbing his fleshy jaw. “You must be starving. Don’t worry, little fella, I’ll get you some nosh.” She assured him, glancing at Sallie and only found her to ignore Tish’s wake-up call. Tish tutted, rolling her eyes with a small smirk. Sensing his owner’s reaction, Lawrence decided to attempt to wake her friend, crawling up the side of the walls, creeping around and onto the ceiling above Sallie’s bed.

Sallie stirred in her blanket, turning onto her back and reluctantly opened her eyes to feel a cold, slimy thing tickling under her chin. She looked up, directly staring at the Licker that was staring back at her from the ceiling, right above her. Her hands scrambled for her side for a gun.

“Hn-!” She stopped, realising it was just Lawrence, and that she was weapon-less. Old habits die hard…

She heaved a sigh of relief as the Licker seemed pleased, crawling back onto the ground and nuzzled against Tish, rewarding him with a pet on the head. Eventually, Sallie sat up from her pillow.

_Coffee…I need coffee..._

The thought of the canteen returned to her. Suddenly she felt the quench for food. She didn’t realise how starving she was.

At last, Sallie faced Tish, blinking several times.

“What’s the plan? Your Captain has risen from the grave.” She murmured jokingly, gradually waking up.

Tish did an incredibly silly salute.

“I was hoping we could be up and out in time for breakfast, sah!” She looked at the little Licker, who was squatting on the bed, chewing at his toenails noisily. “I don’t pretend to be an expert on this little guy, but he kinda looks skinny to me. He definitely needs a snack or two.” Tish glanced towards the en-suite bathroom and approached it, realising she hadn’t investigated it on their arrival properly. She dreaded checking it out; what sort of hideousness awaited them there?

She felt Sallie numbly following her, almost like the zombies that lingered in the hallways. The Soldier approached the bathroom, murmuring in agreement.

“Food would be nice. Coffee would be  _better_.” Sallie began to investigate the bathroom, eyeing up the grimy tiles and off-white colour of it. “I’ve seen public bathrooms much worse.” She commented tiredly, slowly slumbering her way to the toilet, dropping her shorts down and instantly sitting on it. “Sorry Tish, I’m too tired to give a fuck.”

Tish shrugged, not too bothered.

“The last lab I worked in only had one toilet, and it was attached to the main lab. And the door had been broken off years ago…. then the curtain they put up fell down.” She flashed a cheeky smile, facing the grimy mirror and sighed deeply. She’d seen worse. This one seemed to only have water spots on the mirror, it could have been much worse.

Lawrence trotted in, joining on the investigation and jumped into the shower cubicle, falling to the bottom and then began to panic when he realised he was trapped inside the glass cubicle, banging onto the sides, trying to find an exit.

Tish rescued him when he started to whine, chuckling as she opened the door and guided him out. “You fucking moron. Here.” Lawrence scuttled away, emitting a small hiss as if thanking his motherly-like owner, and hurried out of the bathroom. He didn’t like that room anymore.

Sallie watched, sniggering tiredly at the poor Licker.

“He’s quite a character, isn’t he?” Sallie commented, watching him hurrying through the other room. “You never did tell me how you found him? I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t attack you?”

“Nemmy and I saw him being picked on by some others.” Tish replied, plopping her toiletries bag and began to unpack it. “I don’t think he’d got enough sentience to be a student, and he’s so small. I decided to step in and rescue him.” She shook her head sadly. “Poor baby. I think he was being kept away from food by those bullies.” Tish used a flannel to wipe down the mirror, but it didn’t really help much.

“That’s the problem with this place. You’re small, and everything thinks you’re an easy target and don’t deserve anything.” When Sallie finished, she quickly began to fix her hair and picked at her teeth by the sink, sharing the small space with Tish. The mirror was grimy, but they could vaguely see their faces. Two women staring back, their cerulean and emerald eyes contrasting one another, pale and warm flesh, short and long hair. They were like different sides from the same coin. Sallie sighed heavily after a time, looking down at Tish.

_Was it really safe for her to be here?_

It didn’t take them long to get dressed, making themselves look a bit more presentable. “I’m ready whenever you are,” Sallie said after a while, watching Tish flatten her hair with some water.

“Let’s get going.” She agreed, heading back into the room. They grabbed their belongings for the day, preparing themselves for another day of University. Tish scooped Lawrence and found that he fitted in her bag snuggly. He seemed to like it in there. She couldn’t believe she was going to be that chick with a pet in her bag.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna be that chick with a pet in her bag,” Sallie echoed her thoughts, smirking in amusement at the Licker, who seemed happily satisfied in her bag, and tucked himself into it. Her smile dropped at the thought of the nasty corridor outside, recalling last night vividly. “Let’s leave here as fast as we can. I don’t wanna get caught.”

“Yes, sir!” Tish agreed. Sallie opened the door, and together they sprinted out of their room, rushing back to the main building where the canteen would be. Sallie just wanted to see Mr X again.

*

The canteen was packed with students getting their breakfast. Fortunately, Mr X spotted some familiar faces through the crowd, dragging a drowsy Nemesis behind him and approached them. Sallie and Tish hurried back to them, and Lawrence seemed to have recognised them, yipping happily.

“Hey guys, wanna get some food with us?” Tish asked brightly, so glad to see their new-found friends again.

“S-Sure!” Nemesis piped up, waking up promptly when he heard the voice of Tish, someone he had grown fond of. “We were hoping you didn’t run away or anything, after…y’know.” He didn’t dare say the name, in case he would curse their reunion with a ‘jinx’.

“We haven’t seen Saddler, yet. Thank fuck for that…” Sallie murmured; the name reeked of disgust.

“He’s rarely out in daylight.” Nemesis replied, beckoning them the bright sun outside. “He’s like one of those creepy human things…no offence.”

“None taken.”

“Humans are the worst, ugh!” Tish joked, scratching Lawrence after a moment. “So, what can we get to eat? I’m starving.”

“This way.” Nemesis took the lead, bringing the group with him towards the line, which had thankfully dropped in length now.

Mr X was so glad Sallie was still there and hadn’t been hurt while they were away. There was still a chance Saddler would find them again, but for now they were safe. He kept Sallie in front of him, allowing her to get served first, but to keep her in his sight, protectively. She had remained close to Mr X, giving him a smile.

Soon, they were close enough in the line to grab their trays, which were barely useful, but Sallie attempted to make do with what she got, and followed the queue, eyeing up the zombies behind the counter, wearing their silly chef hats. She didn’t know if they had any idea what they were doing, as they milled around aimlessly.

Sallie scrutinised the variety of food before her, wincing at the bucket of strange, green spaghetti thing…

She felt the urge to pass breakfast at the sight of it, shuffling between Nemesis and Mr X, with Tish taking the lead.

Tish gazed at the food before her eagerly, she was so hungry she was simply willing to try and stomach anything at this point. She scooted closer to examine the food, peering at the treats on display. Some of it looked like literal brains, which was clearly a favourite in the University, but there was something she spotted amongst them all. Something golden, fluffy… disc-shaped-

In a burst of excitement, Tish swung her arm and practically slapped Sallie’s arm hard.

“PANCAKES!”

“FACK!” Sallie cried out, glaring at Tish in confusion to see what she meant, and followed her finger to see the pancakes. She suddenly pressed her face against the glass, her nose and forehead pressing down, eyes wide. “PANCAKES!”

Nemesis looked up in interest, wondering what got the humans so excited, and realised they were staring at that disgusting dish.

“Wah, that stuff?” He shook his head. “Isn’t that gross? I mean, look at it! No maggots, no blood, no guts!”

At once, Sallie and Tish turned to face Nemesis with accusing glares, and Nemesis knew in that instant he was in trouble. Mr X chuckled softly, watching.

Sallie held a firm finger at him.

“Boy, you haven’t fucking  _lived_  until you had some of this!”

Nemesis grumbled, mute and surprised now. It was too early for this shit…

In the distance, at their dedicated table, 071 sat with his Elite Tyrant brothers. 072 sniggered, drunkenly making some lewd comment that got the whole table to burst out into dirty laughter. But 071 was not paying attention to the comment. Eagerly, he waited for the humans to notice him, but seemed too busy themselves. They must be hungry…

071 sheepishly turned to back to the table, seeing how 069 hadn’t noticed the girls. For a time, 071 wasn’t sure what to say at first, his boss seemed too busy putting more lewd images and filthy scenarios into their heads. It was like their  _Discord_  server all over again. The poor Tyrant had to mute it because of all the smutty images and horrible, disgusting comments 069 was spamming the group with. And those  _memes…_

The group erupted with another roar of laughter, their fists banging on the table and knocking a poor wandering zombie nearby. Mustering enough courage, 071 shuffled closer against the table, waiting for 069 to calm down as the others chattered about another lewd remark from before, bringing back their constant list of fetishes. 071 never really got into that sort of thing. But he  _tried_ , even if he didn’t understand it much…

“Um…boss?”

069 ignored him. He was busy re-establishing his sexual dominance in his group by feeding them some line about how many he’d scored lately, though 071 knew the truth.

071 slid up closer, like a puppy-dog, and meekly tried to get his attention. He eventually did, watching 069 roll his eyes.

“What do you want?” 069 griped, making the younger Tyrant wince at the bite of his voice. He pointed to the line, indicating the women by Nemesis and Mr X.

“The…humans are okay.” He whispered, uncertain if 069 wanted the others to know what had happened last night. 069 glared up at them and 071 followed his line of sight, watching the girls frantically talking to Nemesis and Mr X about something enthusiastically. 071 had to admit, they seemed so adorable for being such small creatures, how animated and  _alive_  they seemed to be. He watched as Tish insistently pushed Nemesis’s face against the glass to make him appreciate the pancakes she had recently discovered, while Sallie stood next to Mr X, giggling at an expression he pulled, and she tapped his nose, ever so sweetly. What weird creatures…

069, on the other hand, fumed. He grinded his teeth, clenching his jaw at the sight.

“I don’t give a shit. Ungrateful little cretins! We could have been violated because of them!” He hissed angrily at 071. The other Elite Tyrants stopped talking and stared at the them in confusion.

“Everything okay, Boss?” 072 asked lowly, cocking a brow lazily at him. He received a hateful glare from his alpha-leader.

“Mind your fucking business!” He snapped and began to scoff up at the rest of his breakfast, ignoring them.

He was ignoring Sallie  _so hard_  right now! He hoped she knew how much he was ignoring her, because he was so upset with her. He peeked up to see if she’d noticed, but she hadn’t. A fury built inside of his head.

071 hung his head sadly, not quite understanding 069’s reaction. He glanced up, watching as the girls eagerly grabbed that strange sickly, sweet stuff onto their trays, clustering together and coming close to the end of the line. One by one, he watched them leave the queue and to a nearby empty table. He recognised the Nemesis and T-00 Tyrant. The humans seemed good,  _happy_  to be around them. It was as if nothing happened, and for a moment he wondered if it really did happen.

No. It  _did._  He remembered the terror of Saddler.

He glanced up to the other Tyrants, who were eyeing up their leader, exchanging glances. Nothing was going to be said at that point, and so 071 thought of something. With a deep breath, he stood up, catching the attention of his fellow Elite Tyrants.

“Oi, where are you going, dude?” 072 murmured, his vague smile faltering. 071 did not reply. He turned and began to approach the humans and the other Tyrants. Seeing this, 070 nudged 069 firmly, alerting their leader about 071’s risky dare, and received a hot, accusing glare from the scarred Tyrant, until he realised the missing presence of 071, and quickly turned in her seat, watching the idiot approaching the females. 069 realised, with dread, that he must be trying to hit on one of them and snorted.

“Pfft! Good luck there, mate. They aren’t going to go for you,” He grilled, and the other Tyrants laughed.

Sallie’s smile dropped slightly when she felt the daunting footsteps approaching towards them, the ground rumbling hard and hurting her ankles. She snapped her eyes up to find one of the Tyrants coming towards her, instantly noting his wide eyes, and he had no scowl or dirty glint in his features. She comprehended swiftly it was none other than 071 and smiled sweetly at him, opening her mouth to greet him-

Nemesis quickly dived between them, his arms out and open to halt the Tyrant. 071 obeyed, looking a little confused.

“Halt! Don’t you dare come here and cause shit today!” Nemesis commanded, but Sallie jumped beside him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” She insisted, pulling him back slightly. “He’s a friend.” She turned around and faced 071, flashing a beam, in which the Elite Tyrant reflected it back at her. “Morning, 071,” She greeted, and it sparked a joy in 071’s eyes.

“Morning!” He chirped, seeing Tish already elbowed deep into her pancakes, chewing happily. She looked up with her cheeks full of pancakes and gave him a cheeky grin. 071 giggled, giving her a small wave. “Glad you’re both okay.” He noticed the Licker beside her, scoffing down onto the pancakes like he’d never been fed before.

“Thanks to you, by the way!” Tish spluttered; her mouth full of food. “That was really cool of you.” She was genuinely grateful that 071 had been the one to open the door. 069 might have told them to piss off without opening it.

Mr X was finding he liked 071 more and more. They seemed to share the same traits of empathy and kindness. He knew the poor thing only hung around with the others to avoid their wrath.

071 blushed softly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Y-You’re welcome. I just heard this noise and was curious…”

“What the fuck was 069 doing?” Nemesis asked suddenly. If he was aware that Sallie was knocking at his door, 069 would have instantly took her in. And probably violated her in the process.

From the distance, 069 watched, seeing Sallie smiling and seemingly fond of 071. He didn’t care. But something made him insanely angry to see this happen. Why were all the wimps attracted to the firecracker? He grunted and rolled his eyes.

“I better go over there and catch him when he crashes and burns.” He huffed, getting up from his seat and striding over.

Sallie opened her mouth to make a snarky remark about 069 but caught the Elite Alpha-Male scooting out of his seat and she bit it down.

“Be careful. Trouble is afoot.” She warned lowly. Despite this, she knew she needed to thank him too. And so, she braced herself, feeling the harsh rumbles of his footfalls coming towards her. 071 winced at the sound, cowering almost and edged closer to Sallie. It was as if he knew he was in trouble for doing something without 069’s permission. “It’s okay,” Sallie reassured him in a calm voice. 071 gave her a small, sad smile, unsure if she could handle 069’s wrath. He was in such a strange mood today. Trying to ignore the looming approaching of his Leader, 071 turned his attention towards the source of the smell, finding Tish inhaling her pancakes.

“What’s that?” He whispered, squatting beside Tish as if casually interested, taking no notice of his Boss’s approach.

“PANCAKES!” Tish grinned, speaking in a strange voice that made 071 chuckle.

Sallie waited, watching 069 as he approached them, and suddenly all the anger and bluster immediately left him. He saw Sallie, looking so happy that he was just glad she was alright. He even forgave 071 for coming over to them to do that ‘nice thing’…

Sallie saw it. She saw the anger vanish. She had experienced that countless times before herself, like it had flushed out of her system and its emptiness just left you dumbfounded.

“So…uh…” 069 rambled, stopping, and starting again. “Uh…glad you’re okay.” He shot a look at Mr X and then Nemesis, wondering why those morons hadn’t opened their door to the girls when they knocked.

The small woman giggled softly, bowing her head slightly and then looked back at 069 in genuine kindness.

“Hey, thank you. Seriously…we could have been fucked over bad back then. We…didn’t realise who we were dealing with. That small muppet dude. Pfft!” She smirked at Tish knowingly. She would agree. She then turned back to 069, who stood before her in a strange offensive stance, but she felt less intimidation from the massive, hulking Tyrant. “You saved us, pretty much.” She cocked a brow. “I take it was you who told Mr X and Nemesis about the situation.”

Behind her, Nemesis frowned. Sallie was being too kind to this jackass now. Even if he did help them. But he and his big brother did the whole ‘super-hero’ act, the Mario and the Luigi! (Mr X being Luigi, of course!) Nemesis glanced at 071 edging closer to Tish, eyeing up the Licker like a mute, curious creature, and felt an uncomfortable stir churning inside of him. Lawrence sniffed at 071, quickly making friends with the Tyrant and climbed up him, perching himself onto his shoulders before scuttling back down beside Tish, leaving the Elite Tyrant to chuckle in amusement.

071 peered at Lawrence. It was a Licker, that was for sure. He was very aware of their violent nature. 069 had certainly had a horrible time with them in the past, always bragging about tearing them apart during training. But this one seemed harmless, and Tish was content with it. Lawrence scoffed up the last remains of Tish’s pancakes, filling him up and he scrambled up Tish’s shirt, snoozing the instant he got comfortable and began to snore, his head lolling against Tish’s chest.

“Too much for you, eh Tongue-Boi?” Tish chuckled softly, showing 071 the ridiculousness of this critter already needing a nap.

Nemesis’s eye hardened. He didn’t like that Tyrant being so  _close_  to Tish…

069 couldn’t find the will to say anything abrasive or obnoxious to Sallie. In fact, he couldn’t really think of anything to say right away. Sallie being nice to him wasn’t what he wanted…was it? He wanted her angry and spiteful because he liked it better, right?

“No one deserves to be caught by Saddler.” He found himself saying, without his brain really engaging properly. “And I have a history with his little muppet sidekick. That little shit has been trying to take us down for a long time.”

Mr X listened, knowing this was true. Salazar seemed to have a problem with all Tyrants, but especially the Elite Squad. There was something about them he took personal offence to, and no one knew why. Beside him, Sallie sat there for a time, mulling over what 069 said. She was burning with curiosity, she felt as though this wasn’t the right time or place to ask, but it was getting harder to hold back the urge. Saddler was evidently creepy; his intentions are hideously clear. But Salazar…He fucking kicked the door  _open!_  With his tiny baby-feet!

“Wanna talk about it?” Sallie asked, feeling the confused glances of her companions. “ _Alone?_ ” She added quickly, feeling as though having Nemesis around would make the conversation much less serious. This wasn’t the time for it. Sallie was now edging closer to the mystery of this place, and if she could figure something out, even a small clue of this whole situation could help them.

069 glanced at the others, and instead of his usual self-assured nature he looked a little agitated.

“Yeah actually. I do.” He said. “If that’s okay with your bodyguards?” He managed a little dig at Mr X and Nemesis, who shot a hot glare back at him. He figured there was no harm in filling her in on the situation. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it. She probably wouldn’t, either. It didn’t concern her.

Immediately, Mr X’s heart raced with anxiety. He didn’t like the idea of this guy going off alone with Sallie, and instantly stood up to step menacingly forward at 069. He was very aware that 069 was bigger than him, more handsome and could speak properly. Surely, Sallie would find that more appealing…

Sallie knew Mr X was trying to protect her, and she understood why. But..

Calmly, she placed her hands on his arm, stepping beside him.

“Hey, it’s okay.” She said softly, looking up at Mr X, endearingly. “I’m a big girl, remember.”

Mr X was reluctant to drop it, but he did, his eyes hard on 069, warning him. He stepped away a little, trusting that she knew what she was doing and that she wasn’t going to let herself get hurt. Seeing the trust Mr X gave her, Sallie grabbed both of Mr X’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze of reassurance. His hands were huge compared to her. “I’ll be okay. Promise.” She gave him a quick embrace, holding him firmer and more meaningful before taking a step back, chuckling at his reaction. “You’re always so quiet, but when I hug you, you’re even more silent. You stop breathing.” She tutted. “Don’t hold your breath, it’s bad for you.”

Mr X nodded, sighing a little. It was true. He did always hold his breath. He was so frightened of hurting her or driving away from his aggressive nature.

069 was surprised to the fact that Mr X let her go, leaving her vulnerable with him. Maybe he was getting softer? That thought began to wonder what it would be like to care for someone like that…

Sallie spun to 069 at last.

“Let’s talk. Lead the way.”

069 nodded, beckoning her to follow, leading her out of the canteen towards the hallway outside, where it was quieter. He was aiming for one of those little window seats that were dotted around. Usually, the windswept and interesting morons sat on them, but he didn’t care at this point. The zombies that sat around noticed the presence of 069 approaching and scattered away quickly in fright. Sallie followed silently, her mind reeling. She had to admit, now that she was alone with 069, she felt a little more on edge. Usually she was around familiar faces and felt somewhat a little relaxed. Particularly with Mr X. But right now, she had to figure out  _something_. If she couldn’t quite solve the mystery of her own situation here, she could at least try and help another.

069 sat down hard on the seat, waiting for Sallie to be seated. When she sat down on the other side and watched him intensely, he took a deep breath.

“You know how Salazar and Saddler are like, joined at the multiple ugly hips?” 069 began, and she nodded. “Well, they’ve been working together for years. Salazar snoops around and corners young women for Saddler to violate. And in return, he gets complete immunity from any repercussions of anything he does.” 069 paused, letting Sallie take in what he had said. He watched her dark blue eyes fall to the table, thoughtful for a time. She then rested her chin on the palm of her hand, planting her elbow on the table and regarded 069 deeply, her expression drenched in military seriousness.

“Makes sense with what happened with the incident last night.” She replied cynically.

“Salazar wanted to get us to help him, since Saddler started needing more and more victims for whatever he’s up to. He offered us anything we could possibly dream of. We all refused.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t about to get in on whatever it is they’re doing. They still tried to put parasites in us, even knowing they wouldn’t take our own Viruses well.” 069 drummed his fingers on the table top, three hard thuds, the low boom rippling before Sallie. “Since then, he’d had a vendetta against us and is determined to get us all expelled. Or worse…” He realised saying it out loud was morbid and horrifying. He felt a stab of guilt that he wasn’t doing more to prevent them from succeeding in whatever they were doing, but there was nothing he could really do. “It’s the main reason why you rarely see many females around here, or at least, females that aren’t covered in parasites and viruses…”

He looked at Sallie for a time, examining her reaction. He could see something burning inside, behind her eyes, something he faintly recognised but didn’t understand it entirely. She seemed to be recalling back something that had hit her too close to home, a memory that made the muscles in her eyes tense, but nothing more. 069 noticed her fingers slowly clawing at the top of the table, clenching into trembling fists.

“Who else is aware of this?” She asked, menacingly calm, and the Elite Tyrant shrugged.

“Pretty much everyone. No one does anything about it because Saddler says he has Wesker’s blessing to continue. Don’t know if that’s true or not.”

He studied Sallie more, feeling a little chill come over him as she became evidently angry. A horrible compulsion was edging to her, something almost uncontrollable.

Suddenly, she plummeted both fists onto the table, alerting 069 out of his study session.

“What do you have?!”

069 blinked, his jaw slightly hanging in a soundless reply. He could barely gather his answer when Sallie scrambled onto the table, so that she was equal height to his sitting position, their eyes level. “What virus do you have! I want it!”

A plan had occurred. The  _perfect_ , most twisted plan!

069 stared at her in mute-horror, as if she was utterly insane. Well, she fucking  _was!_

“You…. _what?!_ ” He spluttered helplessly. “You want a sample of  _my_  virus? What the fuck for?!”

069 felt Sallie snatch at his shoulders, her hands gripping onto the heavy, metallic Power-Limiter that decorated his thick neck and shoulders. Her eyes fixed onto him, intensely close, and 069 felt his heart race slightly at the sight of them. Such powerful, menacing blue eyes…

“I have an idea. But I need your help! Listen,” She paused, reconsidering herself for a split-second. “I want to protect people. I wanna save people…and even if those people now regard BOWs. I-I can’t let another bastard in power think he can get away with injustice.” She shook her head desperately, urgency increasing in her voice. “I-I can’t let another guy think women are powerless!” Those words had triggered a horribly suppressed memory.

The Army was a dark time. The S.T.A.R.S force was even  _worse_ …

Agonisingly, she tore her gaze away from him, unable to look at him any longer in case he noticed a shred of weakness in her expressions from that thought.

069 realised, in that instant, Sallie was much more than she seemed. She didn’t seem so normal for a human, how angry and passionate she was, yet he could not place his finger on it. He didn’t think she’d willingly tell him about what made her feel in such a way, and so he didn’t press her on that. Yet.

Instead, he took a deep breath, his eyes level with her.

“I think I know what you’re getting at…and I have to caution you. The Virus…the one that made  _us_ …it’s not a simple thing to give to a human in hopes it’ll make them into a hyper-strong badass. You might not survive if you take it.” In a strange sense, 069 was reluctant in telling her that. He didn’t what to crush her hope, but she deserved to know the truth.

The Elite T-Virus was  _dangerous_.

069 watched as her shoulders dropped in disappointment, reluctantly agreeing with him. They both knew it; their bodies were so different from one another. But…

“I wanna traumatize the bastard.” The little woman hissed furiously, her fingers gripping harder onto the metallic features of his Power-Limiter. 069 could feel it, her hands shaking him determinedly, and noticed this destructive military persona was returning to her. He was beginning to like it… “I have a plan and I’m gonna stick with it! I  _know_  what I need to do!”

“You can’t play Hero all the time, Knight.”

“Fuck off! You don’t know what I am capable of!”

“Actually, I do. You’re a fucking little human that can barely catch my throws!”

“Just give me a sample of your fucking Virus and I’ll show you! You wanted to be inside of me, right? Now here’s your one and only fucking chance!”

Sallie watched as 069’s face darkened in severity, taking offense. He then lightly shoved the woman back out of his face, feeling the heat of is temper cloaking him.

So, is that how it was? Come to him for his help, and then just drop that little bomb on him?

“There’s no fucking way I’m helping you killing yourself!” He snapped, standing up from the table abruptly before pointing an accusing finger at her. “Also, you owe me big time for sticking my neck out for you, so you had better get ready to do whatever favour I ask. Now fuck off, little human!” He turned and began to stomp back towards the canteen in fury, swinging his arms violently at the doors to open them and left.

069’s aggressive entrance instantly pulled Nemesis from whatever humorous meme he was staring at from his phone. The canteen fell into an eerie silence, and Nemesis tutted.

_Typical grumpy bastard, always making such an entrance…_

Nemesis stalled. There was no Sallie behind him.

Tish and Mr X had noticed this too. All had turned to see 069 return without Sallie and Mr X immediately began to panic. He stood up quickly and started approaching the doors, hoping she would come through them at any moment.

But she didn’t.

He then ran through them, hoping against all hope that she was ok. Tish had to resist the urge to follow Mr X. She was protective of her friends by nature, not that in this situation she’d be of much use considering she was a squishy scientist. She trusted that if anything had happened to Sallie, Mr X would take care of her.

“What gives?” Tish piped up to herself, looking back at Nemesis. “He didn’t do something to her, did he?” She was referring to 069. She waited for Nemesis, who was studying 069 firmly, searching for clues for this. But he found no blood or bits of human on him. No sign of violence came from him, only a livid attitude problem. Plus, there was no scream, or the sonic boom of any Elite Tyrant attack.

“I think she’s okay?” Nemesis eventually replied slowly, uncertain himself in all honestly.

“I’m sure she is.” Tish replied softly, trying to reassure herself more than anything. “She’s got this.” Tish and Nemesis faced the door, expecting, and hoping, that Mr X would return with Sallie promptly.

When Mr X entered through the doors, he searched for the small woman, finding her further down the hall. She was sitting on the top of the table she had been by, her leg was drawn to her chest, head bowed in silent sorrow. She had been staring down hard at the ground since 069 left her, looking furious yet so hurt. Holding back. Her eyes searching for answers that did not exist.

Tenderly, Mr X approached he, coming to sit beside her quietly. He waited for her, concluding that she was so deep in her thoughts that she had no realised Mr X’s presence, and that concerned him so much. Even for a small amount of time, he knew Sallie was always alert with her surroundings, and now…he could feel the uncertainty and pain radiating from her.

If 069 had hurt her…he was going to tear his arm off and beat him to death with it!

After a moment, he reached out and gingerly placed an arm around her, encompassing her entire body in his gentle embrace.

Sallie was brought back to reality when she felt Mr X’s arm holding her, so softly and tenderly, despite the size difference. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Mr X a small smile, finding the sense of companionship comforting and…she wanted  _more._

He managed to muster a few words in the moment.

“You okay?”

The small woman nestled into his arm, pressing herself against his chest.

“I’m okay.” She knew she wasn’t, but deep down she didn’t have the patience or the energy to spoil this moment with any of her darken thoughts. She has class for that. She glanced up, meeting his eyes-

The bell rang loudly, announcing that breakfast time was over, and that they should go to their first class of the day. But that meant that Sallie didn’t have time to eat anything. Or drink any coffee. Realizing this, she shoved her face into Mr X’s armpit, as if trying to hide from the world. “God-dammit, I had no food!” She whined grumpily. It didn’t matter anyway; she wasn’t  _too_  hungry. But she’ll be ‘hangry’ soon enough.

Mr X looked at her sympathetically. It wasn’t fair that she would go hungry, but there was little he could do.

Except…

He slowly raised himself up and motioned her to follow, in which she obeyed, taking a short walk towards a brightly illuminated vending machine. He jingled some spare cash in his pocket invitingly and felt Sallie grabbing his arm, halting him. “No, don’t, I’m okay-!” She was silenced when Mr X held a palm at her, shaking his head and began to insert the coins into the machine. He glanced through the glass, pondering in what sort of snack Sallie would eat. It was a neat guessing game, trying to understand how this tiny human worked. She was small, yet fiery and spicy!

He pushed his thumb onto one of the buttons, and Sallie glanced to see the machine promptly attempting to deliver a packet of spicy peanuts. The coil moved, spinning and pushing the bag forward…

Then it halted, leaving the bag of peanuts hanging in midfall against the glass.

Sallie choked a small whine of defeat.

“This fucking world is against me-” She whimpered in mock-sorrow but stalled when Mr X punched a fist firmly onto the glass, startling the machine and the packet fell to the bottom. He collected it and handed it to Sallie, grabbing her hand and making her take it, refusing to be refused. He cupped his hands around her petit hands and held them there insistently.

Mr X felt his heart flutter when he saw Sallie smile again, more genuine this time. This is what he wanted.

Her eyes met his gaze yet again.

“You’re too good for this world, Mr X.”

The T-00 grinned, his cheeks softly flushing.

“Good! She’s alive!”

They both turned to see Nemesis and Tish approaching them from the canteen, Lawrence cradled in Tish’s arm like a little baby, snoring. Sallie chuckled, rolling her eyes, and suddenly she had returned. Mr X had noticed that she didn’t seemed frightened in showing her more vulnerable side to him, and he felt strangely honoured.

“Of course, I am! You can’t get rid of me that easy!”

“I thought 069 killed you.” Nemesis snorted at his own joke, shaking his head. “Or even worse:  _TEABAGGED_  YOU!”

Sallie’s face twisted in repulsion at the image, but she laughed.

“A fate worse than  _death!_ ” She agreed in a mock-scary voice, making Tish and Nemesis snigger.  

The corridor around them swiftly emptied as students made their way to their various classes.

“Shall we get moving?” Tish suggested quickly. “Let’s not tempt fate. Or rather, Saddler.”

She had a good point. Mr X nodded and waved his hand to indicate everyone to start moving. There was no way they were being caught by any of those monstrous hall monitors.

*

Luis arrived promptly with notes prepared for the lessons, which began the session rather smoothly. There were no interruptions, no troubles. Nothing.

_Horrible._

How unsettling…

Sallie sat still in her seat, hands clasped over her face, her eyes staring through the bars of her fingers. She thought back about what 069 had said, how much it  _irritated_  her. The accusation made her blood boil. The bastard didn’t know who he was dealing with! But the situation of Saddler was what  _really_  ticked her off, triggering bad memories, making it so painfully obvious that she could not simply pretend they did not exist. She didn’t dare move in her seat, remaining incredibly still, feeling the overbearing presence of 069 sitting beside her. He was alarmingly quiet too.

She  _hated_  this.

069 glanced at her for a moment and recalled how she arrived the class with Mr X. The thought made him seethe. Why did she give so much attention to that weakling? He was so small and meek. It made no sense at all! But something was stopping him from acting in any way. He was still riled up by her insinuation earlier. That he had no chance with her at all. If that was true, why was she so obviously leading him on?

Snatching his pen, he began to violently scribble in his notebook in frustration. Why did she think she could handle his virus anyway? Like he hadn’t suffered to be who he was today!

The tension of the class was distressing Nemesis, and he hated to admit it. There was a density in the air that was almost suffocating to him. He didn’t like it at all. He observed 069 and Sallie and finding their lack of interaction…disturbing.

He leaned over, kicking the back of Tish’s chair, as it was now tradition between the two, and beckoned for her attention. Tish turned and faced him.

“Is Sal okay?” He hissed, his white eye glancing at Tish, to Sallie, and back at Tish.

“I don’t know,” Tish whispered back, looking down to find that Lawrence had stirred from his slumber and perched onto her lap like a cat. “I’ll ask her later and make sure she’s okay.” She assured him, turning back and began to continue writing her notes, watching the Licker’s little face following the sound of her pen scribbling back and forth.

The class eventually finished, taking a break for recess. Thank fuck for that. Sallie could barely take the class being so…dead. Pun not intended, of course. But she had been distracted, not thinking of the lesson, but tried to focus on something else, a bigger concern to her. She didn’t need to understand the history of the G-Virus, she needed to know what the  _fuck_  was going on!

Waiting for all her fellow students to leave, she eventually scooted from her seat when Nemesis, Mr X and Tish approached her desk.

“Yo, you ready?” Nemesis grinned and was a little baffled to see Sallie shaking her head.

“You guys go on ahead. I need to talk to Luis alone.”

“Why?”

“Military secret.” Sallie replied flatly, ignoring Nemesis’ groan. She needed an answer or get some help at least! Mr X cast her a concerned look but did not have the time to react. Taking note of Sallie’s request, Tish steered the Tyrants away from her, pushing them towards the door promptly.

“Out. Come on. I’ll buy you two a juice box!”

Nemesis seemed to have roused from his grumpy mood, excited about Tish’s gift for him. Lawrence made clicking, gurgling sounds to aid this, and Sallie watched as Tish ushered the Tyrants to leave. Tish gave Sallie a reassuring look before she left, making sure the door was closed tightly behind her, leaving Sallie and Luis alone. Sallie watched after Tish in relief. She knew for sure it would be intimidating, perhaps annoying, to have the Tyrants there. Nemesis would be making everything as a joke, while Mr X would be so protective over her-

That made her wonder why, considering…

Ignoring that thought, she approached Luis, seeing him tidying his notes on his desk.

“Um, excuse me, sir?”

Luis looked up and gave Sallie a small smile in a friendly gesture.

“Can I help you?” He asked politely. Sallie noticed something instantly. His demeanour seemed somewhat…strained, as if he was nervous about something, but was managing to hide it.

“Yes, actually. It’s rather serious.” Sallie’s stern voice made Luis stop, turning to her and regarded her carefully. Sallie wasn’t wrong. Her mind had been plagued with all sorts of terrible situations, tense questions that desperately needed answers before she went crazy. She just needed to understand  _something!_  Anything was better than nothing at this point!

Sallie searched for the words for a time. She’ll have to be careful about this, she felt uneasy for even considering questioning this to her teacher. “Be honest with me: What’s the deal with Saddler and Salazar?”

Luis became very still. His eyes darted away from her and he let out a little fretful sigh.

“I really shouldn’t be discussing it with a student.” He said rapidly, dismissing her and attended to his desk again, shuffling more papers. His voice was quaking, and he was avoiding her gaze. Sallie’s frown hardened. She knew  _exactly_  what he was doing. It seemed those who are in some sort of power knew something that the students were not aware of, and they clearly had no intention in telling them either. Most of the students were mindless or careless, some others were simply not interested…but she was a  _human_.

“Luis.” Her voice became dark. “We’re both adults here. Don’t bullshit me.  _Answer_  me.” She was going to get answers whether Luis liked it or not. She knew he seemed tense, and while a small part of her felt regrettable for stressing him out, this cannot be delayed.

Beads of sweat began to form on Luis’ forehead, but he looked gaunt as he met her gaze again. He seemed to mentally grapple with his options for a moment before he gave a shaky sigh, placing his papers back down.

“They…” He said, and swallowed drying. “They sort of run things down here.” His voice was soft, looking around as if their spies were in the room with them. He suddenly leaned in close and spoke in a panicked whisper. “Salazar is his right-hand man. He seeks out students for Saddler to…infect. Saddler gets to do this because he and Wesker have some agreement I don’t know about. He prefers more human-like subjects.”

_Human-like subjects…._

Tish came to Sallie’s mind.

“We encountered them last night. Saddler tried to detain us, but we escaped. I picked the lock.”  _Attempted to, anyway!_  “I’m very concerned that something is going to happen, and if this doesn’t get solved, serious shit will erupt.” 069’s temper was one of her main concerns, she didn’t know how short his fuse was. Perhaps just as short as her own…

Her expression became grave, swiftly looking like a battle-hardened soldier yet again, and Luis saw it. She was now a Sergeant about to plan a violent ambush. “We need to stop them. I need your help.”

Luis’s eyes widened, shaking his head frantically.

“N-No. I can’t help you. There are rules and I must follow them. Or…” His voice trailed off; his lip shook a little. He looked away to compose himself before facing back Sallie. “You know what he does to humans, right? Do you understand what it means when he implants a parasite in them?” His voice trembled and he was visibly shaking.

Luis waited.

Sallie didn’t answer.

A darkened look of frustrated disappointment came to her features, and she glared away from him, chewing the corner of her lip.

So, Luis can’t help either? He was clearly terrified, and terrified soldiers makes wars a messy situation. People  _died_  because of terrified soldiers. She understood his concern, of course. She just didn’t like it. Luis possessed that very fear she had felt once. The very thought of rebelling terrified him. That was a normal reaction for a fresh, new soldier in line. Sallie had felt it many times years ago. She had been there before…

“I understand…” She said eventually, her voice low.

Frantically, Luis collected his things and walked quickly around his desk, pausing for a moment to face her.

“Please don’t go after them. It doesn’t end well for people who do that.” He warned, and it was clear from his tone that he had seen this first-hand what happened to those who tried to upset the status quo.

His heart froze when Sallie snapped a hot glare at him.

“Then what the  _fuck_  am I supposed to do? Just fucking sit there and let them take me?!” Her voice filled the empty classroom. The colours of Luis’s face drained, not expecting such an outburst. But she could not help it. It was in her  _blood_  to use her voice to command people. “You don’t fucking get it! You don’t know what I am capable of!  _No one_  fucking does!”  _There it was again…_  “I can’t just sit there, aware of the situation, and let this shit happen! Even to Tyrants! They are disgraceful bastards, and you  _know_  it!” She thumped her fist onto her chest, a fire in her eyes that had returned. “I’m not gonna flinch away from them. I’m gonna fight! This is what I was made for!”

Luis frantically raised his hands in alarm.

“Please! I understand! But stop yelling, someone might hear you!” He pleaded, seeing Sallie opening her mouth and took a sharp breath to yell back…

…but that was when the door to the classroom opened with a purpose that told Sallie everything.

The notion of the door made Luis look up, and he backed away from the figures that entered, his pupils dinted in dismay.

“Good day to you, Mr Sera.”

Sallie spun around and glared acidly at the new visitors, staring back at Saddler, who was already slowly making his way into the room, bringing an eerie, writhing chill with him. “I’ve been informed by the Dean that you are being given the rest of the day off. Please accompany Salazar.” He motioned with a sweeping gesture towards the door. There, Salazar stood proudly, giggling to himself. He was flanked on both sides by his large insect-like bodyguards.

Panic rose in Luis’s eyes as he glanced at them, then back at Saddler.

“P-Please! I didn’t do anything! Please, don’t send me with them!” He pleaded, reaching out towards Saddler. The cloaked monstrosity stepped back out of his reach, his spidery limbs scuttling.

“Don’t make a scene, Mr Sera.” Saddler said coldly.

The Verdugos came striding forwards towards the pleading man, who began to press himself against the corner of the classroom. Sallie watched the scene in intense hatred. She knew anything that she did could potentially harm Luis, and at the time she failed to muster any form of excuse to save him…not that she could right now anyway.

Hatred…there it was. A cold,  _cold_  fire was beginning to burn inside of her chest. She could  _feel_  it.

The Verdugos snatched a hold of Luis’s arms, one either side, and lifted him from the ground, heaving the fully-grown man off the ground. Luis reacted immediately, beginning to thrash and squirm.

“N-No! You can’t do this! I made a deal! Please, no!” Luis screamed, tears springing from his eyes. The Verdugos brought him towards Salazar, who was giggling even more at the scene of the distressed man.

“Mr Sera, you’re humiliating yourself!” The pint-sized little cretin beamed smugly. As Luis was lifted past Sallie, all the woman could do was lower her head, her gaze falling. She had to keep a firm composure, knowing showing such weakness would only excite Saddler more.

“I’m sorry…” Came an utter to the Spaniard tutor as he was taken away, her voice almost inaudible. There was nothing she could do, and she fucking  _hated_  it.

Once Luis was taken away, Saddler turned his sickly gaze onto Sallie, who glared at him fiercely. He was standing there,  _right there_ , eerie, disgusting, at an arm’s length!

_I WANT YOU TO FUCKING DIE-!_

“If there is anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask me.” Saddler said. There was an unspoken urgency in his voice that crawled under her skin, hating how desperate his gaze was.

“Does this mean class is dismissed?” Came the sarcastic spit through clenched teeth.

Saddler’s smile was wide, like a snake opening its mouth to strike.

“No. Class will resume as scheduled.” His voice almost purred at her. “I expect you back on time for  _every_  lesson. And your wonderful friend too. Perhaps… _especially_  her.” Saddler caught himself last moment, realising he was rambling. “Lateness can be…costly.”

A sudden chill seized Sallie. The way he spoke was always so revolting and sickly, but when he mentioned Tish-

_FUCKING DIE-!_

An audibly snarl emitted in the silence, a low rumble of an unknown creature that sounded strangely inhuman. It was coming from Sallie.

“Talk about my friend like that again, in that fucking sick tone of voice, I may forget myself and break you…” The fury building in Sallie’s chest was becoming more difficult to control. She could feel herself  _losing_  it, struggling to hold it down to cause less drama. But this time, her anger was different. Something new and far more dangerous…

A raw wave of  _hate._

She didn’t know what she was facing exactly, and that thought helped her slow down. Though Saddler stayed infuriatingly calm and collected, which made everything worse. Sallie was losing her patience.

“I would caution you against such action. There would be terrible repercussions for you and those you care about. If you think I would harm her, then you would hate to know what Wesker would do.” Saddler’s voice was so thick and oily, like churning tar. His threats weren’t veiled at all. It was  _right_  there, spoken evenly by a complete psychopath.

Saddler watched in mild amusement to see the small woman.

Sallie’s mind was hot-wired now. Straying from her original intentions and coming back to the cores of her earliest memories, the fucking toils of wars and battles and fights, the sound of flesh breaking bone, the hot flushes of crimsons, the screams-

She wanted to hear him  _scream!_  She wanted to hear him  _cry!_

She wanted to-

_I wanna kill him! I wanna kill him! Die! Die! DIE! **DIE!**_

The instinctive reflexes were substantially painful to hold down, and she didn’t bother hiding her obvious thought of him, her fists tightened and shook subtly, trying to press down the dwelling beast inside of her, and losing control frighteningly fast!

It was all coming back. Like an aching melody… The desperation to cry writhed inside, the overpowering desire to kill…

_I don’t get it…_

That was when the door swung open, and students started to file into the room… 


	13. Hatred

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 12: Hatred **

Saddler moved away from Sallie the moment the students returned, effectively taking himself out of her range. With people filing in, the intensity between the two dissipated.

Tish entered the room with Nemesis and Mr X, giggling about something humorous Nemesis had made up and instantly halted upon seeing the leering face of Saddler. Luis was gone. Her entire body went cold, her heart thundered in her chest and left her panicking.

“What is that walking dick-pic doing here?” She hissed aloud to Nemesis, shooting a gaze at him. The Tyrant behind her gasped, his chest heaved almost too dramatically, noticing the intense stare-down Sallie was having with Saddler. He was disregarding her, but something had happened. Mr X was in much the same mood, spotting their hated enemy, but fumed for being unable to do a thing about it. All he could do was take his seat with everyone else.

“Stay on guard…” Nemesis grilled Mr X, receiving an affirmative scowl from his big brother.

As everyone parted to their desks, Nemesis halted, turning back to find Sallie impassive, standing at the front of the class, her gaze locked onto Saddler in a strange predatory glare. He found it strange, watching Sallie, staring at Saddler unmoving like an aggressive cobra ready to strike.

But then he felt it. They  _all_  had.

Nemesis felt something, something he recognised. It wasn’t something visual, or audible. But it was a  _scent_. He could sense something familiar, and he felt a little uncertain to find it coming from Sallie’s direction.

Mr X hunched at his desk, his powerful hands gripping both side of his desk, staring intensely. The wood creaked beneath him palms. His heart raced frantically. Saddler had taken over the class and knew for certain that he was after Sallie and Tish.

That was a point!

_Sallie!_

His eyes slid over to her and felt something hit him. It was like an aroma,  _déjà vu_ , and a psychic intrusion all at once; he somehow just knew something was different about her…it was as if there was a BOW standing there, a furiously seething BOW. But that didn’t make sense at all! Mr X couldn’t stop glancing at Sallie. Not only did he wanted to comfort her so badly, but there was a strange sensation to think about. What had it been? Why did she seem so…much like him?

“Sallie…” A voice came to the small woman’s intense fog, and she was surprised to find Nemesis standing behind her, taking her arm and pulling her away. “C’mon…” His gentle tug did nothing. The human didn’t shift,  _refusing_  to move. She was seemingly ready to strike but he didn’t understand why she didn’t have the smart intuition to not attack someone like Saddler. He knew she was furious, but she can’t hurt Saddler. Leave that to Mr X!

Saddler’s gaze honed onto Sallie, regarding her like a pathetic little pet in amusement.

“Please take your seat, Miss. Knight,” He simply stated with a leering, greasy smile.  

Nemesis felt Sallie’s bicep tense harder as she clenched her fist, striking the sense of familiarity into the Tyrant himself. Aware that everyone was staring, and that Saddler could attack at any moment, Nemesis reluctantly pulled harder, his strength now easily outdoing her, and finally pulled her away, one step at a time, and took her back to her seat.

Slowly, Sallie sat down without regarding Nemesis, her eyes focused onto Saddler, remaining eerily silent, evidently finding it horribly difficult to suppress herself, her body clenched and never relaxing. 069 glared at her accusingly, finding her not reacting to him at all. Her sole focus was on Saddler. She looked like she was scheming something…

This was weird… _too_  weird. The Elite Tyrant wondered what Sallie had done to get Luis thrown out. Maybe it had something to do with them escaping the other night? He swore to himself. He knew she would get him into trouble! He was wrong to try and save her from Saddler, it was going to get him expelled. Or worse…

He considered what his options were and, slowly, an insidious thought entered his mind. What if he found a way to gift her to Saddler? Maybe that might get him out of hot water…

Behind them, Tish studied Sallie, finding something unusually uncanny. She was understandably furious about Saddler taking over the class, but there was something more. Something primal and rage-filled. It  _frightened_  her…

Once Sallie sat down, Saddler regarded the class of students. “Mr Sera has been taken ill. I shall be taking this class for the foreseeable future,” Saddler explained, slowly, watching everyone, and focused his gaze onto Tish for a reaction. She gave him none, which irritated him. He continued, taking long, slow strides at the front. “His conduct of late has been suspected as well, so do not expect him back anytime soon.” He scuttled towards his desk. “I have taken the liberty of ordering you new workbooks. In the meantime, we are going to learn about the biology and life-cycles of  _Las Plagas_.”

Tish watched and listened in nausea as the lesson began to unfold. She was very aware of this kind of parasite. The parasites were known to take over their host and make them a willing participant in whatever the master wanted. This was why he wanted victims; he wanted beings he could directly control. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out it had to be sexual in nature. The way he stared at her spoke more than what words ever could. She hated how horribly sickening his eyes were, always holding her and restraining her. She didn’t want to react, but the longer he stared at her the more distress she could feel building up.  He was regarding her yearningly, like a demented lover that had been parted from her for far too long, obsessed of her existence. The thought of being infected by a  _Las Plaga_  was becoming more and more unappealing by the moment.

“Stay strong, little Star,” Nemesis’s voice fluttered behind her in the tense silence. Tish felt Nemesis scooting, pushing his desk closer to her as quietly and as casually as possible, hoping it wouldn’t draw too much attention. He wanted to stay by Tish to keep her safe.

Saddler didn’t remove his gaze from Tish, sensing her fear. Tish was fresh and untainted from any form of modification. The perfect specimen. But her friend, Sallie, the fiery one…she would prove to be difficult to manipulate directly. Yes, he sensed it too. Something was in her, and he would seek it out.

“I would like to start this class first with the basics on how the  _Las Plagas_  is formed within the host, how it penetrates inside the womb of the host and takes it as its own,” Saddler announced, floating around between desks, giving each student a warning, greasy gaze, edging teasingly close to Tish. Tish winced at his words, clenching at her own gut and tried to remove such a disgusting image from her mind. Saddler strode around the room, weaving down each aisle of desks, glancing at each student carefully, studying them and mentally making a note of how suitable of a host they would become. “Perhaps we can have a lesson where we… _experiment_  this parasite on one another. For  _science_ …” Saddler honed a sharp warning glare at 069, reminding the Elite Tyrant of their tangle from last night. Subtly, 069 glanced at the small woman beside her.

Her breathing was hot, heavy. It was becoming unbearable to contain, each time Saddler slid around she wanted to break his kneecaps. She wanted to tear the ligaments out of his body with her teeth. She could feel 069’s gaze leering at her, but she ignored it, not in the mood to bother with that traitor. She had bigger problems to focus on. She shot a hot look at Saddler again, focusing his every move, waiting for a weak spot. And found none. “The  _Las Plagas_  is a  _cruel_  parasite that holds no sense of remorse…”

Saddler approached her desk at last, his fingertips touching at the edge of her desk and sliding excruciatingly slow across,  _too_  close to her. “The instant it penetrates inside its host, it grabs it hard and seduces it into its will…” Sallie’s hostile eyes watched intensely as his fingers began to slide towards her, and she-

A huge hand swiped Saddler’s prying grasp away from her, and she glared up to find that 069 had knocked Saddler’s hand off her desk. Saddler turned slowly, his eyes an creepy icy threat. “ALPHA Tyrant 069, I suggest for you to not act so rash next time. Do I have to send you to the Dean’s office?”

069 said nothing, only shooting a threatening glare at Saddler, which was easily disregarded.

Tucking his arms behind his back, Saddler moved on, leaving Sallie in peace.

Mr X could feel the tension rising; his hands gripped the desk so tightly it began to bow slightly in the middle. He was so anxious; Sallie was furious and the angrier she got, the more he sensed something different in her. He studied Saddler with his brother, watching him hotly as he scuttled up from his desk, handing worksheets to each student and came towards Tish’s desk. He paused once he reached her, looking down at her. “Being new here, you will require some extra…tutoring.” He said with a venomous grin. Tish squirmed in her seat, unable to meet his eyes.

“I’ll be fine.” Tish replied tightly, focusing on the worksheet instead of Saddler.

“Unfortunately, that is not up for you to decide. You need extra help to catch up. I  _insist_.” He hadn’t said anything overtly threatening, but the danger was right there in his voice. An unspoken ‘Or else’ hanging in the air between them. Tish swallowed dryly, unable to bring herself to respond.

A low chuckle left Saddler. She smelted so sweet.

“I-I need tutoring too!” Nemesis blurted out. Saddler turned his pallid gaze towards Nemesis. “I’m a dumbass! 2 plus 2 is pineapple! See?” He flashed his infamous, foolish grin.

Saddler studied the Tyrant, the big idiot dolt who was so riddled with viruses and mutations that he was hardly worth considering as food for his  _Plagas_. His sneer of contempt was plain for all the see.

“You, Nemesis, are a lost cause.” He sneered, dismissing the Tyrant, leaving him with his mouth hung open in a silent gasp of offense.

The words were meant for Nemesis, but Sallie overheard him; and somewhere inside her, a cold, cold flame ignited. Saddler’s approach to Tish had rekindled and redoubled her terrible urge to harm. The aching emptiness still resided inside her after all these years, just when she had forgotten about it and ignored it, a vacuum in which nothing could exist. The way she  _was supposed_  to be.

But suddenly, something  _did_  appear there. An emotion which she had only ever been vaguely acquainted with before, and which she had never truly experienced it in its raw form. Not till now.

Hate. Hate for the people who had hurt her, who had killed her childhood, and father, and friends; who had demolished her home; who had destroyed her life. Umbrella, the Tyrants, the experiments, their applications being ‘readjusted’, Birkin’s and Saddler’s obsessions with Tish, the urge to protect Tish from everything Sallie seemed to have grown used to for years…it all added up to something, something cruel and huge, something that they were caught up in and had no idea how to escape. But Wesker knew. And she guessed Luis and Saddler did, too; that gross, disgusting neurotic man.

Someone was going to give her answers. And soon. But until then, there was only one way to salve her emptiness. And that was revenge.

She was not angry anymore, oh no.

But she  _hated_.

In the tense midst of the class, Nemesis began to hear a strange noise. He had been so busy securitizing the creepy bastard, making sure he didn’t lay a finger onto Tish, that he hadn’t had a moment to study the rest of the room. And the moment he noticed the noise, Nemesis was unable to tear his attention away from it. It came to him when Saddler began to pass the worksheets to each desk.

And this noise severely bothered him because it was coming from Sallie.

Beneath her desk, Nemesis noticed her leg bouncing frantically on the tip of her boot, the heel of it thudding onto the ground, making a subtle yet distinct stomping sound. It was pathetically quiet compared to his and the Elite’s footfalls. He blinked at it, was this a weird defence mechanism when humans were stressed out? He knew some did stupid things like swaying, biting their own nails or muttering something to calm their senses…but this was just fucking weird. It was manic, and he could feel the hostility behind it, like she was unable to contain whatever was about to boil inside. Nemesis turned to 069 critically to see if the Elite Tyrant was causing this, and felt his worry thicken to find him doing nothing. This was entirely Sallie’s doing.

Saddler watched Nemesis from the corner of his eyes as he continued to hand out worksheets. How strange…for a Tyrant like Nemesis to show such care for a measly human. Did he care for the tiny human? It made sense; anything that showed Saddler even the tiniest glimmer of care always caught his attention. Decisively, Saddler moved closer to Tish as he was quickly aware of a small gurgling sound. He turned to Tish to find her holding onto Lawrence like a little puppy, hugging him tightly, and Saddler’s face screwed in abhorrence. It was clearly a runt, judging by its size and had been abandoned by the others that infested this school. Saddler watched carefully as Lawrence attempted to approach him, to protect Tish. He was growling, an inkling of threat leaving the Licker, but this did not stir Saddler away.

“Stop it…” Tish hissed, pulling Lawrence back into her arms just as Saddler loomed over her, like an approaching storm of incoming peril.

“Lickers are not allowed in class.” Saddler growled, reaching down to grab the tiny creature, and Tish cried out instinctively, clutching onto Lawrence away from Saddler’s eager grasp.

Tish’s cry seemed to have sparked something tremendously horrific within the class. At that moment, Mr X’s tension reached a fever pitch. Something was happening with Sallie, like a sort of feral rage. At that same instant, the desk he was gripping snapped deafeningly in half, unaware of the pressure he was placing on it.

The snapping of the desk shot through the class, killing the silence and struck through Sallie’s mind.

And that was all she could remember…

Nemesis looked at her, noticing what was about to happen, and his face froze in horror.

“Sallie!  _No!_ ”

But she was already too late.

A sudden shriek went up from behind Saddler, making the monster turn.

In a blurred fit of blind wrath, Sallie shot up from her desk, the chair toppling backwards from the sudden movement and with a battle-cry, she lunged at Saddler at such an immense speed it caught Nemesis by surprise, forcing him to he nearly fall out of his seat backwards in alarm.

069 spun around in his seat to see Sallie climbing on Saddler, her legs latched around his waist, clawing at his face thoughtlessly, emitting this  _horrible_  bellow of animal-fury, forcing the monster to collapse onto Tish’s desk. Tish shrieked in fear, sweeping Lawrence up in her arms to protect him from the attack and darted far away from the fight.

Saddler was stunned by Sallie’s swift leap, her subsequent attack alarming him. He knew in that instant there was something else in her…she wasn’t entirely human! She attacked with greater strength than an average human, but she was still laughably weak for a BOW. He lifted his arm to fend her off, and in a sudden jerk he flung her with incredible force back towards her desk. Sallie’s body broke through the desk hard, crushing the wood and splintering it across the floor, making 069 scrambling out of his seat away from the attack, narrowly avoiding the heel of her boot that flew past his face and he stared at her body in soundless shock.

“What a feisty little kitten you are.” Saddler purred, straightening his robes. The scratches on his flesh immediately began to close, sewing back as if nothing had happened.

Spurred in horror, Tish grabbed Lawrence and hurried towards Sallie, kneeling beside her and checking for a pulse by instinct. Nemesis had leapt beside Tish too, grabbing Sallie’s arm and shook her hard. His blood ran cold as Sallie’s eyes opened. She looked  _awful_ …but such a violent and brutal force was enough to kill a human, yet-

_Little kitten.._

Nemesis watched as Sallie’s face suffused with wrathful resentment at Saddler’s insults.

“Sal!  _Sal_!” Nemesis grew faintly aware of Saddler approaching them but grinned darkly to feel someone looming out in front of Saddler, blocking him from them.

“Try it.” Mr X rumbled, glaring back down at Saddler with an implicit fatal glint in his eyes. His fists clenched so hard; his flesh creaked. Saddler heaved a sigh of frustration, and his intense gaze faltered slightly when 069 stood beside Mr X.

The Elite Tyrant was conflicted about it…but something inside of him was violently tugging at his heart.

 _Don’t let him win!_   _You know he won’t spare you even if you sided with him…_

“I don’t think so, Saddler.” 069 said firmly. “Why don’t you teach the lesson, instead of torturing students?”

Saddler cast a look around, crossly scuttling back to the front of the class. 069 couldn’t help but smirk in triumph to find that Saddler was losing his patience now, a slight faint look of apprehension, the glint of losing control…

“Get to work! All of you!” Saddler bellowed, and it was the first time he’d lost his temper that any student present had seen.

Sallie writhed in hot, blurry agony, hot blood spewing over her bottom lip as she struggled to get back up. Nemesis reached up, trying to hold her down, but she wasn’t stopping. The woman looked at Nemesis through a haze of whites and reds. Tish said something to her, but their words were a burning distortion. Nothing made any sense to her conscious. Her eyes locked onto Saddler, and the sight of him triggered Sallie, and she forced herself out of Nemesis’s pleading grasps.

**_Kill…KILL!_ **

Sallie leapt at Saddler with another shriek of ferocity, her arms around his head in a headlock and attempted to snap his neck, but the man thrashed against her, not expecting for the woman to get up from such an attack. He growled bestially as he fought her off, making it difficult for her to pinpoint her attack, focusing on how she could perform such a brutal and punishing blow. But in the blinded flurry of her wrath, any form of attack was better than nothing. Her murderous thrashing was so disorganised that he eventually found an opening in her offence and struck.

Saddler lashed out with one of his long spider-like legs, tripped in bony claw-like protrusions. The bony point pierced her flesh on her shoulder. The instant he stabbed her Sallie unleashed a hellish scream of anguish, her voice reaching to the ceiling as Saddler lifted her off the ground effortlessly by his superior strength and thrust her body against the wall behind. Bright red, hot blood poured forth, splattering against the floor, desk and down Sallie’s shirt, glossing her trench-coat with dark, black liquid. Regardless of his assault, Sallie thrashed, her hands grabbing onto the limb and tried to tear it off.

“GET OUT NOW!” Saddler roared, snapping his attention to the other stunned students behind him. “GET OUT OR I WILL EXTERMINATE ALL OF YOU!”

The other students didn’t need to be told twice; they picked up their belongings and raced out of the room, leaving Mr X, Nemesis, Tish and 069 alone.

Blood. Blood everywhere. Just red…red… _red…_

A literal mist of crimson descended over Mr X’s vision. With a throaty roar he lunged forward, sprinting hard towards Saddler. The monstrous councillor defended himself with another one of his limbs, but Mr X hardly felt the bony claw as it raked across his face. His fist collided with Saddler with such a terrible force that sent Saddler launching across the room, lodging him into the wall, incapacitated there firmly. Saddler’s swift lurch ripped the claw from Sallie, and she fell to the ground with a bodily, hard thud. Yet, despite this awkward fall, she was writhing on the floor, in a growing pool of her own blood, a mixture of overpowering fierceness and suffering.

Everything was on  _fire!_

Sallie screamed, and screamed, and screamed, a hand reaching out to the open wound and clutched at it, desperately trying to stop the blood from leaving her body, but it ran down between her fingers in thick, red ribbons, running down her arm, staining sleeves and fingerless gloves. Tish rushed towards Sallie, holding her hand down onto the open wound, her heart thundering in her chest.

“ _Sallie!_ ”

069 stared in complete horror. Mr X had fucked up so badly. No one touched Saddler, no one! The stupid fool had probably just condemned the entire fucking class to death!

“You fucking idiot!” 069 piped, and Mr X turned to him with a silent, threatening glare. Nemesis swung an arm at 069’s leg urgently, his eye became a chip of ice as he rounded on him angrily.

“Don’t just fucking stand there! Help!” He shot at the Elite Tyrant, and there was an edge to his voice that 069 had never heard before.

Still, 069 didn’t move. 069 had never felt such unadulterated rage before in his entire existence. There had been no other moment where he wished to kill someone so badly it hurt! Instead of giving in, though, he focused on the wounded Sallie. There was no time to lose! Gradually, the hardness in 069’s expression faded, looking for a moment like a lost child. Then, 069’s eyes lost their hostility and swiftly, they fired up in determination.

“Come on, let’s get her out of here!” He ordered, lunging for the door and with a swift yank, he opened it so hard it came of its hinges. When 069 turned to leave, he froze in place when he met the gaze of who stood there.

“What on Earth is going on in here?” Wesker demanded, surveying the carnage quickly and understood instantaneously what had happened. He turned to Saddler and held his gaze steadily as Saddler was trying to pry himself out of the wall. Wesker’s lip curled in abject disgust.

“I can explain-!”

“I suggest you save your breath, Saddler. You’re going to need it.” Wesker interrupted sharply, looking down at Nemesis and Tish, holding down the thrashing, blaring form of Sallie. Blood was everywhere. “Get her to the infirmary as soon as possible.” He ordered in a tense, heavy tone. He turned to Tish and regarded her demandingly to obey his orders.

Tish folded, almost seeming to diminish then, and began to tremble; but Nemesis wouldn’t allow her to quit yet. Grabbing her arms, he pulled her roughly up onto her feet, lifting Sallie over his broad shoulder and hurried out of the door with Tish and 069 following.

Wesker simply stepped to the side as they left, his focus onto Mr X, who was still poised and ready to destroy. “Step away, T-00. I understand your anger, but I must insist you allow me to handle this.”

Mr X was not foolish enough to challenge Wesker. There was still a look of concealed menace in his features, but he obeyed, reverting to his concerned state and rushed after his friends, leaving Wesker to deal with Saddler.

*

Nemesis held Sallie hard, the scent of blood invading his mind, but was urged to keep going. He could hear her heaving something beside him, snarling a single word.

“Knight…Knight…Knight!”

“Yeah, Sal. That’s your name!” Nemesis murmured, still confused.

“Knight…Knight…KNIGHT!”

“I get it! I get it!”

He didn’t. Tish remained beside him, checking Sallie’s pulse and reading her signs, like a doctor running down the corridor of a hospital after a tragic accident, working and moving at the same time. Tish was considering their options, and only one was presenting itself in her mind.

069 ran in the front, never looking back and seemed to be leading them to somewhere…

In one of the classrooms, 071 rested his elbows on the desk, staring numbly at the projected studies of the G-Virus, seemingly bored. But his head perked up to feel the sound of huge feet running, rumbling, and instantly knew it to be a sign of one of his brothers. He glanced up to see 069-

He then heard Sallie screaming, and blood-!

Blood everyone! Everyone in a fit of panic running down the hall. Without thinking, 071 stood up from his desk.

“I-I feel sick!” Was the pathetic excuse he could babble but was already leaving out of the classroom before his teacher who stop him. 071 skidded around the corner, sprinting down the hallway and catching up with everyone easily. Alarmed at the sudden new set of running feet, Nemesis glanced over his shoulder, and saw 071 looking down at Sallie in mute-horror, never seeing so much  _red_  in his life! “ _Captain_!” He squeaked in fright.

“Oh, hey dude!” Nemesis piped up cheerfully, despite the situation. Everyone turned around to see their new addition to their team, and Tish was the first to verbally pounce onto him.

“I need a lab. Is there one nearby? I don’t care who’s it is, I need it to save Sallie!” Tish pleaded desperately, and it jarred 071 into the same desperate urge. His anxiety shot to the roof, and he nodded frantically.

“This way!” He shrieked, thundering past 069, taking the lead, and everyone followed.

*

The door to Birkin’s lab was slammed opened by 071, and Birkin swivelled in his chair at the hasty intrusion, eating a packet of cheesy Cheetos.

“What this-?”

Like a rolling tempest, 069 merged from behind his little brother and strode into the room too quickly for Birkin to register, grabbing Birkin out of his seat and lifting him up to his eye-level.

“We need your lab, deal with it!” 069 growled, dropping him onto the floor dismissively without giving him much choice. Birkin scampered away, grabbing his Cheetos and scurrying out of the room, glancing at the group furtively before he vanished from sight.

Nemesis hurled Sallie onto the operating table, his arm and chest caked in blood. Thankfully, blood did not bother him, and he assisted Sallie in holding the gaping wound close, holding as much blood as he could. Tish took charge then, feeling completely at home in this environment. It took her mere minutes to get everything set up. Lawrence remained on her back, peering over her shoulder curiously, watching as she prepared herself. Once she was ready, she faced the BOWs, holding a large, empty syringe.

“Someone needs to let me take some blood, so I can synthesise a Virus to give her. Before anyone starts fucking lecturing me, Sallie is dying!” Tish said firmly, and a tense silence fell over the room, broken only by the hitches of Sallie holding back her pained screams.

Mr X started to move forward.

“You can’t, Bro!” Nemesis cried out, his voice pleading. He gave his big brother a harsh gaze. “Our Virus will fucking  _kill_  her. It won’t work with humans!”

Mr X glared furiously at Nemesis, as if offended, but he knew it was true. It didn’t give him enough time to react though, as 069 muscled Mr X out of the way, extending his arm to Tish.

“Take some from me.” 069 demanded. “Might as well, you know...”

Without hesitation, Tish plunged the needle into his arm and he barely flinched. 071 watched in speechless fear, sitting on the floor beside Sallie. He turned to see Nemesis’s meaty hands glossed with red, and the coat of blood was thickening. Tenderly, he reached down and cupped his palms over Sallie’s shoulders and pressed firmly. She screamed in ache at the seemingly light pressure 071 was applying, but it was tremendously hard around her wound. It did not matter, it held the bleeding, controlling it much better. 071 felt the back of his eyes burn when he looked at her small face. She was  _crying_. But the fury in her features made it difficult to understand if she was crying or sweating…

“Captain…” 071 choked, biting back tears, completely baffled in what had happened.

“I hope you know what you are doing,” 069 grumbled, stepping back to give Tish space.

Once a sample was taken, Tish set it aside and brought forth another needle.

“I also need spinal fluid.”

“Spinal fluid?!” Nemesis piped up. “What the fuck for?”

The little scientist sighed a little in exasperation, her eyes held such a determination its surprised Nemesis. Suddenly she wasn’t the meek human he once knew, but a completely different person.

“Blood only yields so much DNA and I need a shit ton to try and make this work.” Tish yelled. “Just  _trust_  me, okay?”

069 grunted, pulling off his leather overcoat and shirt off, kneeling so that Tish could reach.

“Get this over with!” He growled, getting agitated with the urgency not being taken as seriously as it should. Maybe if Nemesis would just fucking shut up…!

Tish worked fast, plunging the needle deep into his flesh and he barely registered it, grunting slightly in the soft ache that came in its wake. Tish extracted the cloudy yellow fluid and then set to work, using the lab equipment to separate everything down into its components. Luckily, she found enough of the Virus in 069’s blood and was able to synthesis something that was useable.

Whether it would work was another matter.

She pulled the substance into a syringe, readying it and then approached Sallie, her face faltering slightly in evident distress.

“Someone needs to hold her down. I think she’s a bit iffy with needles…” She said softly, as if trying to cover it from Sallie. But it was too late, her friend noticed.

Sallie’s pupils dinted at the needle in Tish’s hand, feeling betrayed, and she unleashed another animal-scream, making 071 flinch at the edge of her screams. She began to thrash against his hands madly now, forcing Nemesis to hold her arms down roughly and restraining her as best as she could.

“No! No!  _No!_ ”

Nemesis glared curtly at Mr X, who had been standing there watching, battling with his own thoughts.

“Calm her down!” Nemesis’s voice seemed to have brought Mr X to the presence, and his big brother’s icy-white eyes turned to Nemesis. “She’s your wench!” His tone was panicked now, feeling another surge of unfounded strength building in Sallie.

Following, Mr X approached Sallie, imminent over her and looked firmly into her eyes. A strange noise was coming from the woman, an abnormal yet tragic sound of weeping. He squatted beside her, their eyes meeting.

“Please…” He said softly, placing a hand on her forehead, brushing her flailed locks of hair from her tearful eyes. “Please…”

“I’m scared! I’m scared!” Trembling uncontrollably, Sallie began to get visions of this same scene. It had happened several times. With different faces. Unidentified figures holding her down as another tried to distract her from the incoming syringe that was eager to pierce her and modify her…

Her eyes snapped back at Tish, and she squealed again as Tish leaned down, and hesitated at Sallie’s reaction.

Persistently, Mr X cupped her face and held her head still, keeping her held down and not allowing her to turn away, forcing her to focus on him. He needed her to understand that this was going to help her; she was going to die unless she complied.

In that instant, Tish was ready. She ordered Nemesis to roll Sallie over, exposing her neck. Nemesis grabbed her hair in a bunch and lifted it, trying hard not to hurt her.

“I’m so sorry, Sal. This is the only way.” Tish’s voice emerged sympathetically between Sallie’s screams, and Sallie felt the cold, sharp tip of the needle plunging deep into her neck. The tip hit her spinal column and fed the synthesised virus into her spine, making Sallie wince sharply at the injection, a pained snarl left her bloody lips, aware that she had been injected with something.

069 sat and watched in silence. He  _needed_  to see her recover;  _needed_  to see her sit up and throw some sort of insult his way. He needed to know that Saddler had not won this time. Chewing on his lip, he turned to see Mr X pressing his forehead onto Sallie, trying to comfort her.

The T-103 was completely still and silent. If Sallie did not recover, he knew he would kill Saddler, and that would spell the end for him.

But nothing else mattered if Sallie wasn’t there…

Tish had been clenching her jaw so tightly that her teeth hurt. They were all waiting…

Nemesis seized when the screaming stopped eventually, and soon he felt Sallie exhale deeply. That was when she fell limp in his arm. Slowly, in growing horror, Nemesis turned at Sallie, finding her stillness uncomfortable…like she died-

He slapped her hard across the face, stunning Mr X away from his swipe.

“Don’t die on me, woman!” Nemesis demanded harshly, ignoring the condemning glare from his older brother. Sallie reacted, however, yelping before coughing up more blood, glaring at Nemesis through squinting, exhausted eyes. The old Sallie had returned.

Relief flooded throughout the whole lab, and Tish let out the breath she’d been holding in a long hiss.

“I-I’m not fucking dying-!”

Nemesis slapped her face again.

“Don’t die on me!”

Tish lunged at Nemesis, slapping a hand across his bald skull, and the Tyrant winced madly at the assault, his arms flailing above his head to protect himself.

“She’s injured. For fuck’s sake, back off!” Tish screeched, brandishing the enormous syringe as a weapon at the BOW, who leaned away from her. The scene replicated a husband arriving late from work to his wife, who was furiously waving a rolling pin at him warningly. Mr X pushed Nemesis aside, glaring at him with a dark intensity few had ever seen from him. He then peered closer to Sallie, desperate to see her smile and tell him everything was okay. He reached down and gently cupped her cheeks in his massive, gloved hands.

Sallie’s eyes lifted to him, blinking a few times groggily, and she finally gave him a weak smile.

“Hey handsome…”

“Captain!” 071 piped up, relieved that the screeching mess was gone, and his Captain had returned. Tish approached Sallie, beckoning 071 to remove his hands. The Elite Tyrant obeyed mutely, and they all watched to see the gaping wound very slowly beginning to close. Tish giggled softly but was unable to suppress the mounting excitement of her success and leapt up and down.

“IT WORKED!” She cried out in elation. “I DID IT. IT WORKED!” She had never done anything of this magnitude before, and it served to send her confidence in her work souring. Tish was ecstatic, so ecstatic in fact that she launched the syringe at the wall, trying to get the needle stuck in the wall like a dart. Instead, it just broke apart and clattered across Birkin’s workspace. “Come at me, Saddler! I’m ripped!” She chirped as she continued her victory dance in circles. Lawrence was bewildered, still clinging to her. Nemesis swept Tish into his arms, swinging her around in celebration of their new victory.

“You did it, Star! You did it!” He announced proudly, spinning her around, making the poor Licker dizzy for a moment at the destructive triumphant dance. The clumsy Tyrant nearly crashed into 069, but the Elite Tyrant barely noticed. Tish nuzzled affectionately into Nemesis’s shoulder, her arms coming around to embrace him tightly. Lawrence, happy because everyone around him was happy, leapt from Tish’s back and onto Nemesis, snuggling into the Tyrant despite not understand the situation.

“I’m a fucking scientist, Yall!” Tish thundered happily.

“Yes! Yes, you are!” Nemesis cheered on, surprised to find himself cuddling against the daft Licker. But he didn’t care. Seeing Tish this happy was…just pure  _joy_  to him. He placed her back down carefully after their celebration, holding her close to his chest, and upon realising this his face flushed madly. “Erm…so…dinner on me?” It was a foolish thing to say, and he quickly reiterated. “To celebrate! All of us!”

Tish blinked, utterly flustered by Nemesis’ suggestion, even when he back-peddled and made it into a group thing. But she grinned knowingly at him.

“Well, if you’re offering, I definitely won’t say no.” She replied, a little giddy.

“S-So, she’s okay then?” 071 asked the celebrating pair, hopeful. He looked at his older brother for an answer, only to find the Elite Tyrant staring at Sallie in an unnerving state.

069 had hardly heard him; it was as if his own coursing blood drowned every other sound out. 069 was staring a hole through Sallie, as they say. He couldn’t move or speak. He was so very aware of the Virus now coursing through her. He could sense the power that she now contained doubling. It was something like a scent, but closer to an innate instinct that told him she had been a BOW before and now…now she was going to realise it even more.

Mr X’s gaze softened at Sallie, elated when her bloody hand reached out and touched his cheek. He moved in closer, wishing only to sweep her into his arms and comfort her until she was better again. He was too relieved by her recovery to notice 069’s sudden stillness. Mr X closed his eyes at Sallie’s light caress, her thumb tracing over the details of his strange complexion.

“If I hadn’t known better…” Sallie grunted with a weak grin. “You launched Saddler into the fucking wall, yes?” She coughed again, still clearing her throat and finally took a long, shuddering sigh. “You have a nasty habit of doing that.” Mr X wasn’t proud of what he had done, looking away in silent shame. But when he heard her chuckle, he looked back. Sallie tapped her finger onto his nose. “I fucking love it.” It was true. She adored his strength and overprotectiveness. It was so new to her to be blessed with such a thing. That made Mr X feel better. He would do it again in a heartbeat to save her.

069 felt his heart rate increasing the longer he watched Mr X cuddling with Sallie. All he could think of was that he needed to possess her…because after taking his Virus she was rightfully  _his_. His hot gaze turned to see 071 edging closer to Sallie, leaning down carefully.

“Captain…” 071 mewed softly, pointing. “Your wound…”

Sallie glanced down to where 071 was pointing, seeing that 071 was correct. She pulled the remaining rags of her shirt down, revealing the healing wound, which was there mere moments ago. It was gone now. Sighing heavily in relief, Sallie’s head fell back onto Mr X’s arm, resting there for a time, her mind coming back to its sense.

“How…did this get healed?” She asked softly, then her nose wrinkled as she sniffed. “And why the fuck does it smell of cheese?” The mention of cheese seemed to have made the others notice, all sniffing the air. 069 was finally brought out of his reverie by this silly comment and shook his head. Grimly, he voiced what everyone had been too preoccupied to think about.

“We’re in so much trouble right now.” He grumbled. “Wesker won’t allow us to harm Saddler and get away with it.”

They all knew this was true, but Sallie laughed bitterly as she struggled to sit up, with the help of Mr X.

“I-It doesn’t matter. I initiated the attack. I’m the one in trouble.”

“Oh, but it does matter, my dear.”

That eerily, sultry voice emerged from the doorway, and all eyes turned to the man himself.

Wesker slowly walked towards them, his arms folded behind his back, his posture never faltering. “What a delightful demonstration of strength, indeed.” His compliment held no warmth, an undertone of danger lined his voice. His shielded eyes locked onto Sallie in particular. “I’m afraid I cannot let this go unpunished, however.” He beckoned Sallie with a finger to come follow him. “I will need to see you in my office.”

Sallie said nothing, and her head dropped in mute shame. 


	14. Knight Industries

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 13: Knight Industries **

The interior of Wesker’s office was at once luxurious and sparse.

Ah, Sallie had been in this position before. Being interrogated for answers, by the enemy  _and_  by her own allies. It did not matter; she was not going to give Wesker the satisfaction in conquering her. The low ache of agony kept flourishing in her shoulder, despite being closed. It was as if her injury was still in the process of healing, and she had to be careful.

Reluctantly, she followed Wesker inside, aware that he closed the door behind them so that it was only the two of them. Wesker walked around his desk, taking his seat and motioned with one gloved hand towards the other leather chair.

“Please, have a seat.” There was a strange eagerness in his cool tone, unless it was smugness. Sallie wasn’t sure, but she didn’t like it. He was smiling like a cat that had cornered an injured mouse it had been tormenting for hours.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Wesker cocked a blond brow at her tight statement but shrugged anyway.

“What would you say if I told you that I knew your secrets?” Wesker asked at a great length, savouring the moment.

The woman gave him a wry smile.

“What, that I have a massive collection of sex toys?” She shrugged casually. “Please, everyone by now knows I’m a kinky bitch.”

His smile didn’t falter.

“Of course, I already knew that.” He all but purred. Sallie watched him intensely as he laced his fingers together, the smugness overflowing. “I know you once worked for S.T.A.R.S.” He gauged Sallie’s reaction, and found none.

_Clever girl…_

She was trying not to break under his gaze, refusing to give into him. But Wesker will find a way. He waited for his comment to settle, reclining back into his chair, studying her. “If you think this isn’t a big deal, then might I remind you that you’re stuck here in a school for BOWs; all of whom were created to destroy every last member of S.T.A.R.S.” His words brought a chill; or maybe that was the fact he didn’t have any air vents, or heating in his office. The air was still and stale.

“I throttled Saddler because he was being very inappropriate to a student,” Sallie replied tensely. “Surely,  _you_  are the Dean should have put an end to it, and not rely on students to do your job for you.”

That comment made his lip twitch irritably. Sallie heard his gloved hands creak in tension and could feel his glare piercing through his sunglasses.

“Saddler and I have an understanding. He keeps order amongst this rabble of monsters and in return he gets to have some victims here and there. Things work differently here.” Wesker said in a tone as hard as steel. Then his brow lifted. “But then again,  _you_  understand that perfectly well, considering you were created in a lab.” He tilted his head slightly. “ _Knight Industries_ , was it?”

_Knight Industries…_

The word seemed to have hit her like a bullet, and Wesker grinned maliciously to find that she was not quick enough to hide her reaction. She bit her tongue down, trying to muster any excuse to debunk that theory. But that was the problem. He  _knew_ it wasn’t just a theory. He  _knew_  of its existence… and not many people did.

_‘One Knight can make a different…’_

“ _Knight Industries_  is far less crude than  _Umbrella Corporation_ …” Came the hiss through clenched teeth.

“And also missing its lead researcher, Michael Knight.” Wesker interjected quickly, leaning closer. “The man who created you…a poor excuse for a BOW.” Slowly, Wesker reached up and removed his sunglasses, revealing his blazing eyes. Bright orange with snake-like slits, his gaze now held a horrible, unearthly quality, and in the instant his eyes met Sallie, she seized, feeling held down by a far more intimidating, and advanced, BOW.

There it was again…that sensation of fear…Sallie could feel it building at the back of her mind, that strength behind his eyes. He, too, was a BOW, just like herself, and she felt a horrible weight falling onto her under his intense stare, like his aura was holding her down, suffocating her, his stance held a dominating purpose. Violence radiated from him.

She swallowed hard, watching Wesker wordlessly.

“Save yourself the trouble and tell me, why did he create you?” He asked, painfully slow. “He did this for a reason; made you as human as he could muster. You were meant to protect.” He leaned closer to Sallie, his voice dropping in a keen whisper. “What is it? What is he hiding?”

His question ignited a thought that she had never considered. Evidently wincing under his cruel gaze, she tried to understand his question, and her head hung for a time, thinking deeply. Patiently, Wesker waited, watching her battling with that question. He had expected a sharp remark to deny his question, but to see her thinking about it…

_How peculiar…_

She was trying to figure it out. She had not forgotten her military training to hold back answers from eager enemies, but she was not trying to find out for him, but for  _herself_. The earliest memory of her life was meeting Tish in that Laboratory years ago, as children, and the faint faces of Scientists. She knew her purpose was to fight, to protect something from a stormy force…

But  _before_  that, what happened  _before_  all of that…

Blank. Hollowness.  _Nothingness_.

Not even a trace of an idea of what  _could_  have happened before there.

Her eyes searched for an answer, and it appeared that, even to her own disappointment, she could not find one.

“I…I don’t know.” She replied, honestly. Aggrieved, she looked so lost in her own questioning state, driving herself into an endless search for an answer she may never find out. Luckily, she pulled herself away from that aimlessness, and her eyes hardened when she looked at Wesker. “And even if I did know, would you think I’d tell you?”

Wesker was suddenly on his feet, slamming his fist down onto the desk, seemingly losing his patience. What had appeared to be wood was, in fact, made of metal, and his strike caused a dent in the perfect surface.

“You will tell me because you have no choice!” he raged furiously, before he promptly took a calming breath and straightened himself. “Perhaps I should phase it another way,” He added, calm yet still acid-tongued. “Now that I know it is  _you_  who is the BOW…I have no further use for Tish. Her meagre skills as a scientist are hardly worth the expense of bringing her here.” He brushed his fingertips across the dent he had made, brushing his thumb and index finger together for a time, then his eyes shot directly at Sallie. “Would be a shame if something awful were to happen to her.”

The spike of his tone did not startle the woman, though it wasn’t a surprise. Military soldiers were trained to take note of everything with a calm, emotionless state, and realise it as reality, taking it all in unfeelingly. She was no different, even for a BOW. But the instant he mentioned Tish-

“Don’t…” She growled taciturnly, her eyes never leaving Wesker, and the tension between them intensified. A hysterical amount of wrath was merging back to her consciousness now, making her muscles twitch, her mind becoming foggy again.

_No…not again, please! Control! CONTROL!_

She tried to compose herself but was evidently struggling.

Promptly, Wesker came around his desk, still glaring hard at her, his fiery eyes ablaze with anger now as he stood before her, his face dreadfully close to her own.

“Don’t what? Don’t give her to Saddler?” Wesker chuckled, a low rumble of incoming doom merging from his chest, the bass mocking Sallie. “Trust me, that is the more desirable fate if the only alternative is facing my wrath.” He threatened, leaning closer to her. He didn’t appear to even breathe; his composure was so absolute. He clearly was not threatened by her at all. “I will ask you again…what are you protecting?”

“I don’t know!” Sallie shrieked into his face, aware of her wounded shoulder burning in fresh agony. Perhaps it was the pressure of this stress… But she wouldn’t break down so easily to such a pathetic man! Even if he as a BOW!

Quicker than an eyeblink, she rounded him, her fist ready and shot towards Wesker’s face.

_His perfect face! Break it! KILL IT!_

But her blood ran cold when the man effortlessly caught her punch, as if he had known her imminent attack before she did, his fingers clamped around her fist hard in such a rigid vice it startled her. She didn’t lag, however, her other hand sweeping to his arm and clutched onto it, wrestling him towards the desk, a terrible waltz of a battle between two BOWS as they struggled.

Sallie watched through a heated glare as Wesker snarled like a cornered wold.

“This is cute,” He said, immediately flipping her with so little effort, slamming her down onto the top of his desk and pinning her there, one hand around her throat, the other applying tremendous force onto her wounded shoulder, and she shrieked against him. “But you are nothing but a hapless child!” He bellowed; his heated eyes now so close to hers. He stared at her for a long moment, his terrifying cold hand clenching around her throat, like uncaring steel. Cold radiated from him as if his core were comprised of nothing but ice. Sallie watched hatefully as his rage seemed to have faltered, ebbing away, and eventually he backed off, sneering down at her. “You really don’t know, do you?” He mused aloud, not to her but himself. He seemed to be grappling with something mentally for a long moment. Sallie remained on the table, stunned, her eyes staring upwards to the ceiling, indignant, seized of all movement. Her body was throbbing agonizingly, as if the rushing of her own blood was too unbearable to cope. Her heart was thrashing, feeling hollow as it battered against her ribs, skipping several beats.

 _Why was I created…?_  Came the numb thought.

“You may go.” Wesker indicated the door. “Don’t get any more ideas about attacking me again. Next time, I won’t be so merciful.”

By his command, Sallie slowly rose from the desk, staring at the ground for a long time, as if processing what had happened…

_What a feisty little kitten you are…weak…this is cute…pathetic…_

_…Poor excuse for a BOW…_

Avoiding Wesker’s eyes, she finally got up and left the office without saying anything, a cold glacial numbness held her hostage the entire time. Yet, deep down, she was howling. She wanted to avoid everyone. She needed to be away from everything… 


	15. Deal with the ALPHA

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 14: Deal with the ALPHA **

Inside the Gym, it was relatively peaceful. Everyone else was in class, of course, all but  _him._

ALPHA 069 didn’t much fancy being in that classroom again with Saddler. He was very aware in what had happened.

_Sallie…_

That name was like an impulse inside his mind. He could hardly stop thinking about her. It was if her body was now screaming at his. But she wasted her time on that  _weakling_. The very thought of it infuriated him so much he couldn’t even put it into words. He was planning on spending the rest of the day at the gym, hiding out from his responsibilities, and found himself frowning when he heard doors slam open.

With a frustrated grunt, he glared at the intruder accusingly, but his brows faltered when he saw the running figure of a very familiar woman.

Sallie stormed into the gym, already darting from the door away from peering eyes and hurried beneath the shaded coolness of the bleachers, surrounded by the metal forest of rusted scaffolding. She threw herself into one of the pillars, pressing her arms onto it, her face buried into her arms. At last, that suppressed yell of frustration finally left her, boiling over her and it echoed throughout the lonely gym. She punched her fist into the pillar, making it shudder. Just as the rage began to subside, hysterical sobbing abruptly followed.

For years she had tried hard not to cry. That is what she was trained to beat out of her system, to show no sign of weakness. That was what she was told:

_Don’t cry, Sallie…be strong…_

The voice of Michael Knight.

But now, those words were only a faded memory of an incident she barely recalled. She didn’t wish to cry because she would be frowned upon as  _weak_. But with no one around, she could finally release it.

Howling into her arms, she wept wretchedly, her fists clenching so hard her nails bit into her palms, and she punched the pillar again, venting off the remaining urge of hatred out of her. She remained there, howling beneath the crooked, metal canopy of the bleachers, a terrible sound of heartache and agony.

_Why am I here? Who am I?!_

From above, 069 watched her through the gaps of the bleachers, staring down in silence. To see her weep so openly seemed to have struck something inside of him, firmly reminding him to keep quiet until she had calmed down. But after a few minutes he realised she wasn’t going to. No one made him so uncertain like Sallie did. Especially now, that his own Virus flowed through her veins. She sometimes seemed too raw; her emotions like an open and bleeding wound. But then the next instant, she was snapping her fangs shut on your arm like a cornered snake. He just didn’t understand her at times…

_Maybe she’ll come around to me…_

Shuffling slightly, he leaned down, clearing his throat loudly.

“Hey, um…”

The voice came from above. Her sobbing stopped tersely, and she glared up towards the source, seeing 069 peering at her. “Everything okay?”

_Fucking fantastic…out of everyone to see me cry…_

Sallie’s face twisted in tearful anger to see him, trying to toughen up quickly but found it to be pointless.

“Go on. Laugh.” She hissed acidly.

“What is there to laugh about?” He demanded, stepping down from the bleacher, his heavy footfalls making the bleachers groan and shake around her. “You think I’m happy you got hauled off to see Wesker?”

“I’m fucking  _crying_!” Sallie snapped back, annoyed at his ignorance. Her eyes were burning terribly. “I’m  _weak_!” Noticing the Elite Tyrant to walk around and follow her beneath the bleachers, she turned onto her boots and stormed further down, not wanting to be anywhere near him. He insistently followed her, ducking beneath the bleachers, and she glared over her shoulder at him. “Go away!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” 069 grilled as he climbed further into the mechanisms. “How is crying a weakness?”

“I failed to protect Tish!”

“Tish is fine. She’s back in class with that fucking doof, Nemesis.” 069 didn’t understand why she thought she had failed. What had Wesker said to her? Had he threatened her?

An intense quell surged through her, he  _needed_  to know!

The small woman spun around swiftly, facing the looming Tyrant, and her tearful eyes halted him.

“Did you not see how Saddler took me out?!” She shouted, her voice a struggling shrill of strength. She was losing her disposition, her voice wavering and fragile, but she was trying. Trying so  _hard!_  “He fucking stopped me-! He fucking did  _this_  to me!” She snatched onto her shoulder, her nails biting into the freshly healed wound. “And he’s…” The wrath quickly faltered then, at last, as if she had realised something, and given into her sorrow. “He’s not even a fucking BOW…”

069’s heart swept.

Suddenly, she looked so  _broken_.

A strange possession came upon him. 069 pushed closer to her, and without thinking, he spoke.

“Except that the wound is gone and that’s all because of me.” He was smirking now. Surely, she felt the same deep soul-pulling that he did? Surely, she felt the connection. “You have to feel it, right? You’re already stronger! You’re always twice the BOW Saddler thinks he is!” He moved closer to her, wanting nothing more than to close the gap between them entirely.

But Sallie disagreed. She found his abrupt approached a little too  _sudden…_

This was getting uncomfortable quickly. She promptly took a step back, gathering breathing space away from the looming Elite Tyrant.

“Wait…what do you mean ‘because of you’?” She thought back for a moment, trying to decipher through all the hot, blurred memories of the events that had happened merely an hour ago. She recalled attacking Saddler, briefly. Twice, was it?

She looked down onto her shoulder, frowning at the wound that had seemed to recover quickly. It was not completely healed, it hurt like a terrible bruise, but at least she was not bleeding anymore.

Sallie finally turned back to 069, her tearful eyes hard. “What happened?”

069 had been waiting for this moment, the moment he’d get to tell her exactly what happened, because he was certain it would infuriate her much more. He laughed harshly, advancing towards her with slow, deliberate steps.

“Tish took some of my blood and separated the virus from it. She then gave it to you, to heal you.” He explained, enjoying the moment so very much. “You have  _my_  virus inside you, and that means you owe me.” He continued to approach her confidently, already eliminating many possible escapes for her to run to. He watched as the small woman processed everything what 069 had said. Slowly, she faced him, her expression a mixture of disgust and confusion as his words settled onto her, and she realised he was telling the truth. Just the sheer thought of his virus being inside of her, pumping through her heart, circulating through her entire body-

She snatched at her shoulder cruelly in an almost desperate attempt to yank the virus out of her, but it was far too late. It was part of her body now.

 _Goddammit! Now he really_ is _inside of me!_

She sighed in frustration, paused, and then faced him again, her eyes insolent.

“Wait…why did you do that for me?” Her face thundered. “Was it to get back at me?!”

069’s chest heaved in indignation, but this time he controlled the angry flush of his pale cheeks. He had not been prepared for that question. The truth was, he did it because he didn’t want her to die. But as luck would have it…it now bonded them together in ways no one else could ever understand. Not even himself.

“If you died, you’d have come back as a Zombie, and we don’t need any more of them around.” He replied dismissively. “But mostly I did it so that you would owe me your  _life_. I intend to collect on that, by the way.” His grin was wide and threatening.

That answer seemed stupid. A lie! 069 was crafty like that, but even with that thought she had wondered why. Most probably, as he stated, so that she owned him her life.

_Bastard! Fucking fantastic! A shitty debt!_

She stirred exasperatedly under his shadow, eyeing up any forms of escape. But at least her tears were no longer there. There was a silence in the gym. Sallie anxiously watched the Elite Tyrant, her eyes burning.

“And what kind of debt do I owe you? I never asked you to play hero for me.” She was reluctant, but she knew she needed to know. She’ll need to know the enemy’s plan in order to destroy it.

“You’re going to date me, of course!” 069 answered, folding his great arms as if playfully annoyed by her. But he was being far from playful. She  _owed_  him this much after the embarrassment and the rejection. The Alpha deserved the best! “Now, stop backing away from me...” He growled, pushing closer, finding himself hindered by the support beams of the bleachers. 069 emerged before her, a sharp, mocking smirk on his lips, gazing at her in cruel amusement.

_That…. shit-!_

There was something horribly elusive and dangerous about that. Noticing his persistent approach, Sallie backed further in-between the metallic mechanisms beneath the bleachers, using it to her advantage, backing away and eventually crawling in a smaller gap.

“That’s adorable. Really. You did not even bring me flowers.” Sallie said, and suddenly burst into hysterical, desperate laughter, a mixture of fear and amusement. Of course, she didn’t want to date him. Bastard Tyrant can gloat about his heroic efforts as much as he wanted. But this wasn’t a fucking fairy-tale…more like a horror game with limited choices and ink-ribbons for save points.

069’s grin turned to a grimace, icy cold.

“Get out of there now!” He ordered aggressively but was aware that she would not listen to him. Instead of waiting for her, he gripped two of the support beams and started to bend them apart, opening them up so that he could get through. Open-mouthed, speechless, Sallie staggered back a step; she had finally determined the nature of 069’s intention. He wanted her, and he was going to have her now!

_Escape. Now!_

Once the gap was large enough, 069 climbed through and started on the next set, edging closer and closer without any lag. “You should just make this easier on yourself!”

“Fuck you!” Sallie snapped, already frantically scaling through the metallic bars. She knew this would only delay him for so long, but she needed to escape from him. She needed a plan! “You mean make this easier for  _you!_ ” Thankfully, she found an end to the bleachers, weaving through the tight gap, aware of the hulking Tyrant in the centre of it. The bleachers were weak, composed of thin metal. It would only buy her so much time, and she prayed it would be just enough. “You didn’t even compliment me! Worst boyfriend ever!” She knew antagonising him was the worst thing to do, but now, she no longer cared. He had angered her enough to make her spit acid back at him in the face of direct danger.

At this point now, 069 burst through the bleacher apparatuses now; sending shrapnel and debris flying, scattering across the gym. The Elite Tyrant seemed to have lost the ability to speak now, and instead vocalized his fury in an absolute roar, like a raging breast. His huge fists clenched menacingly.

He spotted her sprinting towards the locker room, and already shot off into chase, his great strides covering the ground at least twice as fast as she could move, a heartbeat behind her now. Sallie did not realise the sheer power in 069 until now. His speed had quickened tremendously, nothing like she had seen before. Already running, she did not dare to look back, aware of the frightening speed incoming towards her direction. His thundering footfalls shook the ground and resounded deafeningly, and swiftly he caught up with her, lunging for her, his huge hand reaching out and aiming to grasp at her ankle. His fingers brushed the fabric of her trousers and detained her leg hard. The grip seized her, forcing her to the hard floor and she spun around, seeing the Elite Tyrant look so…beastly.

Sallie gave a shriek of such pain and animal terror that 069 shuddered; aroused by such a sound.

Her hand instinctively dug against her hip, vanishing beneath her trench-coat for a moment and suddenly blinked back into existence, now wielding a combat knife. She had tucked this weapon inside her trench-coat for emergencies like this. Hastily, she stabbed the blade into 069’s wrist, praying it would paralyse him. Even for a mere moment, she  _needed_  those few precious seconds!

The pain was horrific; a wrenching, aching hot agony that exploded from his wrist down to his elbow. Reflectively, he snatched his hand back, releasing her for a moment. 069 examined the wound and saw his own dark blood, almost black in appearance. He snatched the blade out of his wrist, staring at his gaping wound hotly.

Her victory was short-lived…

069’s flesh was already knitting itself back together. His rage-filled eyes turned towards her slowly; like a gaze a lion would do upon a creature it was about to maul into pieces. He dropped the small blade onto the ground, knowing that the small, pathetic weapon would not aid him.

Sallie’s heart lurched at the sight, her body remembering the time when his angry touch had once brushed her with that power and made her tremble. A shadow seemed to wrap itself over his face, his handsome features turned icy and merciless.

Another unearthly roar escaped his lips, lunging forwards, his huge hands seizing her around the waist quickly and lifting her up off the floor. A scream of absolute terror left her when she felt his huge hands suffocating her, his grip tightening, making it difficult to breathe. Her hands pitifully tried to pry the huge fingers apart, but it was futile. Losing all hope, she began to thrash madly in his grip, kicking her legs.

_How adorable…_

069 brought her close to his face, hostile.

“I’ll hurt you if I have to.” He snarled menacingly. “Instead of that, though, let’s make a deal.” The small woman had enraged him more than anything else in his entire life, yet he needed to possess her, to keep her all to himself. “We’ll make a deal; you do as I say and in return, everyone is happy and safe. No one needs to get torn to shreds.” He tilted his head. “How about that?”

She raised her chin, meeting his gaze defiantly.

“Oh yeah? Do what you say, huh? Like what? I can’t make a fucking deal without reading the fine print!” Sallie replied, sounding more confident than she was.

“You’re not allowed to make puppy-dog eyes at T-00 anymore. You so much as look at him for too long and I’ll kill him in front of you.” 069 snapped, shaking her in frustration. He was determined for their little flirtations to be over and done with. No more. This cannot continue! “If you agree to this, then we’re square. You be a good little girlfriend to me, and no one gets hurt.”

“You fucking dare…” Sallie said, keeping her voice rigid because the sight of him in such wrath was making her inside twist around on themselves. She watched his expression, and knew he was serious. Of course, he was, and while Mr X had proven how powerful he was…could he withstand 069’s brutality?

A part of her didn’t wish to find out. She was simply too scared to make such a risk. No, not to Mr X… she couldn’t…

Sallie’s eyes surged with submission again at that thought, the raw fury in them softened suddenly when she realised the bitter truth, her head bowing down in silent defeat.

She could not beat him. She could not…

_…Weak…pathetic….BOW…_

_So, this is it?_

For a moment, 069 watched Sallie within the once animated gym that was now scattered with pieces of the bleachers and dotted with blood.

“Say it.” 069 urged aggressively. “Say that you agree. I want to hear you say those words!” 069 had never been denied of anything he wanted before in his life. Right now, this was not going to be any different. He was the best, the  _Elite_  of his crew. He was the strongest and most brutal and most ruthless. She will not disobey him anymore. She is  _his_!

Maybe, if Wesker was so interested in her for some reason, maybe he could get a deal going with him too? No sense in not exploiting this as much as he could for his own gain.

Sallie lowered her head, and when she raised her head again, her eyes were suddenly dark. She couldn’t say it. She knew she can’t, but eventually she had forced those tiny words from the dam of her anger and shock.

Almost inaudible, she said the words.

“I agree…”

069 grinned, allowing a sickening chuckle to rumble in his throat.

“Good girl.” He purred, pulling her even closer. “Now, a kiss to seal the deal!” He said with great triumph.

“What?!  _No-!_ ” Sallie was powerless in his grip, unable to stop the Elite Tyrant from pressing his cold, grey lips onto her face. He had to stop himself from going overboard, aware that she may become difficult again. When he pulled away, his white-hot eyes fixed onto her.

“Now, remember: You’re  _my_  girlfriend. Understand? You do as I say, and no one gets hurt.”

“I…” Sallie began. Her throat tightened again suddenly, but she swallowed and started again. “I understand.”

069 searched her face, seeking any signs of deceit and finding none. Then he released her, placing her back onto the ground. She did not move immediately, just took a pace away, such a mix of emotions written on her features that he could not tell what she was feeling.

That was when the school bell rang.

069 laughed loudly, looking at Sallie in cruel triumph.

“Come on,  _Captain_. Time for practice!” 


	16. Sergeant Major

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 15: Sergeant Major **

The gym was slowly filling up. The familiar footfalls of the Elite Tyrants emerged through the doors, halting to see their leader and Captain standing in the centre of the gym, the disseminated clutter of broken bleachers scattered across the floor.

All at once, the Elite Tyrants watched them in a blend of misinterpretation and suspicion, noting 069’s leering grin.

“What the fuck happened here?” 070 was the first to speak, his voice a deep, gravely murmur. Wringing his hands nervously, 071 hurried towards Sallie, but halted under the harsh, superior glare of 069.

“Pick this shit up.” Came the stern order, and 071 winced, feeling torn with obeying him and seeing if Sallie was okay.

“But-”

“Now!” 069’s firm demand had shaken 071 enough to make him stop and scampering away, gathering the pieces off the floor as quickly as he could, tossing them carelessly to the end of the court. 070 clenched his teeth slightly in confusion, but decided against questioning 069 and joined 071, snatching the remains of the bleachers and piled them in the corner.

069 studied the younger Tyrant hard, pondering if he needed to put this little weakling out of his misery soon. He was acting like that weakling T-00, showing kindness and compassion. This is not good for them. That would have to be stamped out of him.

Cocking at brow at his eldest teammate, 072 finally approached 069’s side, giving Sallie a quick glance before asking in a low yet warm tone.

“Had a small fight, huh?”

069 shot a cold glare at him, his eyes sharp. When nothing was said, 072 turned down to Sallie, a drunken-silly smirk on his face. “Yo, Captain. Let’s get ready.”

Sallie nodded, completely dismissing 069 now, and she began to remove her trench-coat off, hanging it on the railings guard that stood between the untouched bleachers and the court. She looked down at her shirt, finding the sleeve and collar torn, making it useless now. Frowning, she removed the shirt, relieving herself from the fragmented material and dropping it on the floor just beneath her trench-coat. Now, she scrutinized herself, running her hand over her arms and trying to find a pulse under her jaw, wanting to feel  _human_. But the faint pulse did little to help her. She had her black leotard beneath, slightly damaged from Saddler’s attack but at least she wasn’t running with a torn shirt. The small surge of readiness came to her, and she tilted her head hard enough to crack a tension that had been building there since her meeting with Wesker, discharging a sharp  _crack!_

When she turned around, she noticed that 069 had been watching her with an arrogant grin, evidently proud that she now belonged to him so completely.

“Fucking get ready,” Sallie hissed, her voice a little fragile and she didn’t understand why. “Coach is here,”

069 flashed a nasty smile.

“With pleasure,  _Captain_.” And with that, he turned to the locker room, beckoning the rest of his fellow teammates to follow him. 071 gave Sallie a quick glance, his doe-like eyes full of anxiety before scurrying back in fear of 069 catching him hesitating.

Sallie watched after them, her eyes vacant and glacial.

_I’ll fucking show you, ALPHA…I’m gonna fucking break you like I’ve never broken a man before…_

*

With the basketball tucked under his arm, the Coach waited patiently for the Elite Tyrants to return, donning in their red and black basketball uniforms, massive tank-tops that hung over their broad shoulders, billowy shorts, and the sight reminded Sallie that she was up against some of the biggest Tyrants known to man. Yet she only used this to motivate her will. Height and strength did not matter anymore. Valour and ingenuity are what she needed! Even with their power-limiters remaining, she had to discard that incoming thought of them having the ability in becoming something much greater!

_Super-Tyrants…_

Yes, she recalled something like that. She remembered someone tell her that word but didn’t know who. It did not matter who told her what. Right now, she had her hard eyes level with 069, stirring the Elite Tyrant into a soundless challenge, and he seemed to have received it with lecherous eagerness. Their Coach didn’t seem to notice the tension thundering between them, and mumbled something so-

“Run…drillsss…”

Sallie’s eyes flicked onto the Coach; her interest thickened. She had understood what he had said. For a mere moment, she assumed she misheard him, but found that, indeed, she had heard him correctly.

_Now I understand…_

She found this to be a little odd, considering she didn’t understand him at the first practise… It  _must_  be the Virus.  

She felt a strange sensation of someone staring closely at her from behind, and she faced 071, who seemed apprehensive in what had happened, his gaze begging an answer. She knew his question. Sallie didn’t react for a moment, and then finally flashed him a strong smirk, one that reassure him that she was okay. No questions asked. It worked almost all the time.

The Coach shook his head, his decaying features vaguely crumpling in impatience as he pointed at his players.

“Am…talking to….myself?” He tapped his wrist, reminding them of what little time they had for practise, wanting the lesson to begin and so started to attempt to blow his whistle, which didn’t work so well with his thin breath. He tossed the ball into the air at that second, and 069 was the first to snatch it from the prying hands of his other teammate. Immediately, he got a terrible idea, his punishing gaze locking onto Sallie, rapacious.

“Hey Sallie! Heads up!” He jeered, launching the ball at her with all his strength. His intentions to toy with her grew almost unbearable for him to ignore.

Upon instinct, Sallie raised both of her arms up over her head, defending herself from the incoming assault. She knew this would hurt, but what she didn’t know was that she shook hard against the terrible impact, her feet shook though remained planted firmly into the ground, and a horrific shockwave rippled through her with the vigour. But she remained standing, the ball reflecting off her arms and almost knocking a daze 072 out, who was standing nearby watching the scene before him. Even Sallie was surprised. That was sheer luck. However, her victory was not enough to please her.

Her stormy eyes turned to 069, finding him standing there, dumbfounded at the results. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen.

“Fuck off!” She spat back, turning away from him and hurrying towards the other Tyrants, her eyes onto 072, who was dribbling the ball and chuckled softly to see her following him. 069 stood still, trying to figure out what had happened. He knew the virus had healed her but…to see that strength? She seemed rather robust for a human before, but now she was shockingly powerful,  _too_  powerful for a human. Alas, she was nowhere near as strong as he was. That throw should have knocked her  _into_ the ground, and yet...

He spun around to find her leaping up against 072, slapping the ball from his grasp and he bellowed a laugh, all their attention turning to 071, who clutched onto the ball and froze on the spot.

“Go on, 071!” Sallie called out encouragingly, glad that 072 and 070 had stopped beside her, giving the young Tyrant space and time to figure out what to do in such a situation. “Pass it to one of us!” She stepped forward, arms in the air. “Imagine me as the enemy!”

“Throw it to me, dude!” 072 called, beating his chest with a fist in a strange, masculine gesture of inspiration. Eventually, 071 made his mind up, hurling the ball over Sallie’s head easily and towards 072.

A hand reached out in front of 072 and grasped the spinning ball into his palm, drawing it back to his chest. 072’s eye twitched to see the smug grin of 069 beside him, turning and began to bounce the ball away, weaving it around to prove that he had indeed been practising what Sallie had been teaching. He was doing much better than last time.

“Anyone else playing or what?” He barked irritably. Sallie watched to see 072 rolling his eyes in mild annoyance, but began to run towards his leader, 070 quickly following suit, determined to make him lose the ball. 071, however, didn’t. Instead he squatted beside Sallie, his wide eyes holding her kindly.

“Are you okay, Captain?” He asked meekly. “That was a pretty nasty throw.”

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” Sallie reassured him quickly, watching 069 in the distance teasing 070 and 072, tossing the ball lazily back and forth, ignoring the lacking presence of Sallie and that weakling 071. He knew they couldn’t keep up anyway. He began laughing about his hilarious act moments before, blissfully unaware of anything out of place. 070 began to approach him more aggressively, but narrowly missed the ball as 069 spun quickly and darted to the other side of the court, 070 and 072 following him frantically behind. “I can handle this…”

_Can you? Weak little BOW!_

071 watched Sallie silently, studying her and found her darkening expression a little frightening. He noticed a strange change within her. Nothing too shocking, but there was a familiar sense about her now that she was beside him, like she was part of his own kind, his own  _blood_ …

Eventually, Sallie drew her attention away from the others, her gaze softening onto 071. “Just ignore him. He’s showing off.”

“He’s always so nasty to you.” 071 piped up, surprisingly Sallie for a brief moment when she noticed an inkling of anger in his tone. “I just wish…I just wish I could hurt him back.” Sallie didn’t say anything for a time, watching a strange spark of determination in his features and finding it remarkably adorable. “I-if he hurts you like that again, I’ll hurt him back.”

That was touching, but-

“Don’t worry about it.” Sallie replied decisively, and the anger faltered in his cute features, dousing into confusion now. Sallie hesitated, thinking for a time, then: “Here. Take this as a lesson.” She smirked, beckoning him to lower down next to her. He settled further into the ground, listening to his captain carefully. “Now, you’re gonna have enemies like that. They will mock you and make you feel like shit.” She pointed at 069. “He’s a perfect example. Use it!”

071 blinked.

“U-Use it?”

“Yes, like practice. You wanna defeat him, right?” 071 nodded eagerly, his eyes regarding her intensely. She wagged her finger. “Listen to me, I’ve got an idea.” 071 bowed down to her cupped mouth and listened to her plan. He gave her a doubtful look at first, but when she reminded him about it again and explained it in more detail, it finally made sense, and his eyes sparkled in realisation. “You ready?” She asked, brimming with energy when 071 nodded keenly.

“Let’s do this!” He piped up, picking up the small woman, his fingers around her firmly yet not too tight. He wanted to be careful with her. Both watched 069 in the distance, who was making his way towards the hoop, laughing in egotistical triumph as he narrowly missed the grappling hands of 070 yet again, feeling invincible at this point.

“Wait until he shoots, okay?” Sallie reminded him, and 071 swallowed a hard lump, feeling nervous suddenly.  

During the midst of this, they had not realised that a few students had filtered into the gym, slacking off their lazy afternoon for some free entertainment. A few of those members were Mr X, Nemesis and Tish. Mr X’s eyes searched for Sallie quickly, and found her in the grasp of one of the Elite Tyrants. His heart leapt to his throat for a moment, but it swiftly subsided when he noticed it was only 071, and he seemed to be listening to some instruction from Sallie.

“Glad Sal’s safe,” His brother’s voice broke through his thoughts, and Mr X followed them to their seats, his eyes never leaving Sallie.

They were standing at the edge of the court, talking… _plotting_.

“Wonder what’s going on…” Tish asked aloud to no one in particular. After the Saddler incident, she was increasingly worried about Sallie. But here, she seemed fine…actually…

Tish noticed there was still some sort of edge in her features. And so, she sat down between Mr X and Nemesis, Lawrence clinging onto her back like a giant, mutated parrot, watching the ball bounce in interest.

“Huh, considering what had happened, she’s doing pretty damn well!” Nemesis commented, finding it a little odd, but he kept his mouth closed after that, all eyes onto Sallie and 071.

They watched to what would transpire next.

The ball of 071’s foot grinded into the ground for a time, and hastily he began to jog towards 069, who was approaching the hoop at this point. 071 quickened his pace, and Sallie felt his fingers grasping too tightly around her waist. He was bracing himself, seemingly anxious now that 069 was coiling himself, preparing to launch the ball at the basket.

“Now, 071!” Sallie ordered in a shriek. At the instant he heard that voice, 071 hollered, wincing against the thought of potentially hurting Sallie but her hard command made him submit.

That was when he threw the small woman across the court, hurling her towards 069 at a startling speed. Mr X’s jaw hung slightly to see this, suddenly pitching forward in intense and conflicting anticipation, watching the figure of Sallie soar across the court.

071’s cry seemed to have drawn 069’s attention, and barely had any time to react in what he was witnessing.

The intention was to smack and catch the ball from 069’s throw, knocking it askew away from the basket and, hopefully, have hold of it. But 071’s frantic aim was a little off, and so 069 was sent crashing to the ground to feel Sallie jarring into his face, forcing him onto the hardwood surface, crushing his cheek onto the floor and he unleashed a growl of discomfort. The hard landing pushed Sallie off 069’s face, rolling across the floor away from him, quickly composing herself back up against the blaring mixed noises all around her.

The scene was utterly comical, and Tish was unable to hold her laugh. She howled loudly, her laugh tangled with wheezing and snorting, becoming incredibly obnoxious, but she didn’t care. It was the funniest thing she’d seen in a long time, and it was satisfying to see 069 get taken down like that. Lawrence started huffing along with her, adorably joining in though he didn’t understand the joke.

“He fell like a sack of fucking potatoes!” Tish wheezed, tears brimming her thick lashes as she watched the Elite Tyrant get floored by the small woman. Her laugh was so contagious, and soon Nemesis joined in, slapping his knee at the sight.

“That-! That is comedy gold!” Nemesis boomed, elbowing Mr X to find him grinning broadly, victorious.

The ball rolled into the air, and without thinking 071 ran towards it, his arms open and he caught it within his grasp. Without hesitation, he was spinning on his boots quickly and threw it aimlessly towards the basket.

That was when the ball fell through the hoop for the first time…

There was a heartbeat’s silence, allowing everyone in the room to take in the what had just happened.

Sallie looked up to find that 071 was just as stunned as everyone else was, and soon he realised what he had done. His mouth blossomed into a proud, wide smile, becoming incredibly giddy at his victory, and he couldn’t stop it. He thumped onto his tiptoes in welling excitement, before he burst into a joyous laugh.

“I did it, Captain! I did it!” He faced Sallie, and when he received a proud recognition from her, he wanted to cry.

_Finally!_

All around her, Sallie could hear the cheers and laughter. There, she heard Tish’s hilarity, a dirty and infamous laugh that complimented her own, and the pure bliss of it tickled Sallie into giggle herself at the results. Tangled with Nemesis’s howls, massive booms of a trolling laugh, it only made her giggles intensified, and she began to laugh too. The sound of amusement, such  _happiness_ …

Amid all the laughing, the Coach threw his hands in the air, storming off in a huff.

“WHY I BOTHER?!” He cried out but was drowned by the laughter all around him. Sallie didn’t care, anyway. This was better than any sort of victory. 071 scored his first hoop. Their first  _ever_!

The whole incident as just stupid. So funny. The plan had failed miserably but at least it was promptly blessing with knocking 069 out of the way. The stunt was ill-advised, yet it  _worked_.

“Well done, 071! Not according to plan, but it worked!” Sallie burst out laughing at last, the sound loud and pleasant.

“What the fuck…” 069 hissed against the ground, feeling an unimaginable rage boiling up inside of him almost devastatingly, his fist smashing down onto the hardwood beneath him, emitting a ear-piercing shockwave of power through the earth, and it startled Sallie into disturbed silence. She looked to see him pushing himself up, glaring around and his scorching gaze halted onto Sallie the instant he found her.

How dare she laughed at him! After she had promised to bow down to him, she went and did  _this?!_  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” 069 bellowed, hurrying towards her in an intimidating speed. “You think you can just pull this shit and get away with it?”

“ _Shit!_ ” Nemesis cursed, immediately standing up and was already running down. Mr X and Tish exchanged a brief glance before following him, running to meet Sallie.

“L-Leave her alone, ALPHA!”

Sallie watched the fire in 069’s eyes diminish for a mere moment, clearly taken back just as much as she was, and then she felt her blood run cold to watch the brutality deepened ten-times over as he slowly turned to the source of the voice, and found 071 standing there. 071 realised at that point he made a grave error, and his face blanched into distress as 069 stalked towards him, his hand already lifting and seized him roughly by the throat, pulling him close and snarling into his frightened, pale face. 071’s eyes were huge, panic-stricken. He knew this day would come, the day 069 would kill him…

“Whose side are you on, runt? You think you’d make it in this fucking place on your own? You think anyone here will look out for you like I do?!” 069’s voice held a terrible immense sense of danger, his fingers tightened around his neck, feeling the bone in 071’s spine twisting against his unforgiving grip. Still seizing him, he forced 071 backwards against the wall, and lifted him clear off the ground, demonstrating his superior strength. 071 thrashed against his grip, choking, his eyes filling with tears of trepidation. “I could fucking end you right now! You want that, do you?!”

Nemesis, Mr X and Tish latched onto Sallie, heaving her up onto her feet in a desperate panic. Nemesis knew from experience that this was going to escalate horribly. It always did with the alpha. 069 was nasty, but when he was truly angry, people  _died_.

“Let’s get the everlasting fuck out of here!” Tish cried out.

Sallie looked up to see 069 holding 071 against the wall, 070 and 072 stood stunned at the display.

071 wept-

“ _NO!_ ”

Sallie forcefully snatched herself out of the arms of her friends violently, tearing herself away from them, barely giving them a chance to realise what had happened. Sallie was already running towards the Elite Tyrants.

“Sallie!” Nemesis cried out after, knowing exactly what she had planned to do. Battling Elite Tyrants was like electricity. Any form of contact was guarantee death, and this was going to end badly. They were  _always_  brutal. Nemesis turned to see Tish attempting to follow her, and he snatched her up off her feet protectively, banking away sharply to hide her eyes from the incoming horrors that were bound to happen.

Sallie ignored his cry, her determined gaze holding onto 071 as if doing so would protect him, and that was when she felt it. That pure unsuppressed heave of strength that 069 had mentioned to her before. It occurred so quickly it swept her within, like a breathless lift. Suddenly, her legs had gained such a dynamism that was not there before. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, bolting across the court and-

_Save 071! Save 071!_

_Your duty is to fucking PROTECT!_

That was when she did the unbelievable. She threw herself into the side of 069’s shin, hurling her tiny body into his leg, and somehow the connection was strong enough to emit an abysmal sound of flesh thrashing flesh, the force staggering enough to startle the Elite Tyrant’s balance, toppling him into a stumble and releasing 071 in the process. With a desperate rasp, 071 collapsed onto the ground heavily, clutching onto his throat and gasped urgently. 069 grunted and barely had time to respond to the assault, feeling this perpetual shove against him, harder, feeling his massive body tilt backwards on an incline that was so great, he eventually lost his balance and landed awkwardly onto the ground. He didn’t realise what had happened until he saw Sallie climbing over his chest, stomping a boot onto his skull and pushed all amount of immense pressure from the toe of her boot into his temple. A numb shock held him captive, perturbed by Sallie’s attack that he could barely register what had happened, finding himself being thrown onto the ground in a pained heap.

The entire gym fell into an intense, cold silence.

“It’s fucking me you want!” Came a shrill yell out of Sallie’s mouth, one that had never occurred before, a look of hysteric wrath. “I made that plan as Captain and 071 followed it!” A strange iciness cloaked her features, one that was almost closest to the look of a killer, the same expression 069 had witnessed when she attacked Saddler, but this was far more controlled.

He stared at her; her tone so dense in a commanding air of authority he was actually  _scared_  by it. Before her newfound strength and BOW status, she had been nothing but a curiosity to him; a thing to be played with. But now she was showing him her own strength and…it  _excited_  him. His heart thundered so hard he could feel it pulsing at the back of his skull, knowing only that her presence and wrath were turning him on. In horror, he was beginning to realise he would do anything to experience this strike again. And if it meant hurting her friends…

In the distance, Tish remained still in Nemesis’s grasp, her legs held in the air and all she and Nemesis could do was watch, holding her breath, daring not to breathe in case it provoked the fight to start up again. Lawrence clung onto her, puffing hard with fright like a dog. Mr X watched the situation unfold, finding himself impressed by Sallie’s intervene. His icy-white eyes turned to 071 finally and began to approach him, helping him up onto his feet, checking to make sure he was not badly injured. Stirring into life yet again, 070’s attention tore from the scene and approached 071, his scarred features tightening as he studied 071’s neck. 071 was distraught into silence, rubbing his throat and gave Mr X and 070 a look of thanks, looking up to see…

For the first time in his life, he witnessed 069 express genuine, unadulterated  _fear_.

“I’m fucking  _Captain_ , and you’ll listen to me, regardless of my fucking size!” That commanding tone rose from Sallie again, her eyes unforgiving and punishing. “If you don’t like my plans and have a problem with them, you tell me personally! You fucking got it?!”

069 swallowed hard, unable to say anything. Furious with his lack of response, Sallie lifted her boot and kicked her heel into 069’s cheek, rewarding her with a groan of agony. “Do you  _understand?!_ ”

“Yes!” He finally babbled. But, yet again, Sallie was not happy.

“Yes,  _what?_!” She demanded again, grinding her boot harder into his flesh, and 069 winced against her.

“Y-yes, Captain!”

For a long, painful pause, Sallie stared down at 069, watching him for a time, and eventually exhaled deeply, closing her eyes to compose herself. Strange, her military persona had finally reached the surface at long last. There was a strictness in her voice that she had not felt in a long time, that sense of  _power_ , and it felt  _good_. The non-nonsense Sergeant Major that hated everything, the one who made men cry. She had always tried her hardest to stay as human as possible, but sometime the military fury betrayed her.

069 was panting heavily beneath her, his throat constricted by icy-fear and he stared after Sallie as she finally dismissed him and walked away, approaching 071, who was staring back at her with Mr X, 070 and 072. A harsh pulse ran through 069’s body, and there was an embarrassing hardness in his shorts that he didn’t want anyone else to see. He sat up quickly, hugging himself for a time to comprehend the situation.  

Sallie felt a little hurt to see 071 watching her cautiously, wincing as she approached him, only to ease quickly when she spoke again.

“You okay?” Her voice had become soft and small again, though there was something unreceptive beneath her tone. 071 hesitated and nodded. 070 and 072 regarded Sallie with a stare that gave her the impression that they didn’t know what to make of her at this point, uncertain if they should risk being out of line near her. They insisted themselves to behave around her, a strange cold uncertainty between them all. If she could manage to stun 069 like that, they had no chance in dismissing her so easily, not that they intended to.

From where he sat, 069 watched as his Elite Tyrants gathered around the small woman, all wearing an expression that he had remembered himself. The same reaction he received when he was announced as the Alpha in his team, when he was finally created and was inevitably titled as their leader. A strange dread crept into the back of his mind. She was going to steal his position as the Alpha of the Tyrants, and she wasn’t even-!

But she was now…she was a BOW…

His gaze fell to his hands, watching them tremble for the first time, quickly hiding them away from everyone and looked around.

No one was seeing it. No one else seemed to see the towering presence she contained.

And 069 wanted to experience it again…He wanted her to  _hurt_  him.

Shaking his head wildly at that thought, he drummed his forehead with his fist.

_W-What is wrong with me?_

Nemesis felt a bit conflicted by the scene. He didn’t know what to make of it. He glanced down at Tish to find her cradling Lawrence in her arms as he was cradling her in his own arms. Sallie seemed different, colder than last time. Perhaps Saddler had awoken something inside of her that he wasn’t aware of. Subtly, he studied 069 and found him to look so wounded…so confused. No doubt his ego probably took such a blow just then.

Finally, he managed to utter something.

“Holy shit…” He leaned down to Tish and added in a hushed whisper: “Is she on her period or something?”

He received a long, suffering look from both Tish and Lawrence.

“I’m going to kill you if you ever ask that again, lad.” She replied flatly, making Nemesis winced.

“Yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am,” He gently placed Tish down, walking towards the gathering around 071, who was slowly coming back to his senses.

Sallie reached up, her hands holding his cheeks gently and checked for any wounds again. Faint finger marks, but they weren’t severe, luckily.

“T-Thank you, Sallie…” 071 whimpered, a hand reaching to his throat and glancing at his fingertips, as if expecting blood. He found none.

“It’s okay…” Sallie replied, the fury finally draining, the moment passed, and the darkness was gone. The Sergeant Major was sleeping now. She felt human again…

“That…that was pretty badass,” 072 finally said, his voice seemed a little more tense than usual. He blinked and gave her a lazy smile. “Y’know, you’re pretty fucking strong for a little human.”

“You’d be surprised in what I can do.” Sallie replied, finally looking at Mr X, finding that he was staring back at her in great concern.

069 waited for everyone to seem as distracted as possible before leaping onto his feet and stormed towards the locker room. He needed to get an ice-cold shower to cool off and think. He needed to be away from them all.

He needed to get away from  _her!_

“You ok?” Mr X asked eventually. Seeing such fury in her had been very disturbing. She must have gone through something serious to pull such a stunt. He watched as shame came into her eyes.

Sallie knew she had made such a scene, though it wasn’t her biggest concern. Right now, Mr X was what interested her more. She noted that 069 was gone, and she smiled faintly, wearily. It seemed as though 069’s whole ‘Virus Debt’ had backfired onto him. Though she knew she would not be so lucky next time, she took this moment to savour her victory. 069 was always a few steps before her, but this time, even for a spare moment, she was on the same platform as him, and it seemed to have disturbed him.

Tenderly, Sallie beckoned Mr X to bend down to her height, and when he did, she cupped his cheeks in her small hands, caressing the strange flesh, how cool it felt against her hot fingers. Touching his face, the hard jawlines and sharp features… _divine_ …

“I’m feeling much better, now, thank you.” She replied, truthfully.

Mr X wanted nothing more than to nuzzle into Sallie and breathe her in, but he stopped himself. He was shy, first and foremost, and he certainly didn’t want to scare her off. Instead, he grinned and leaned into her touch.

“Good.” He replied; always a man of few words. The softness of his words was enough for Sallie. Mr X watched as her eyes glistened at him, pulling him closer.

The urge to kiss was rejected the very last moment, and she pulled him promptly into a firm hug, her arms wrapped his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder. Hidden, her eyes were filled with pain, her mind reeling back about what Wesker had said, the shitty deal with 069. No doubt he would come back and flaunt his new ‘trophy girlfriend’. She needed to tell the others…but to tell Mr X, she just couldn’t bear the thought of his reaction…

What if he’d  _reject_  her?

_…weak BOW…_

_…S.T.A.R.S…_

Just by the sudden firm hug Mr X knew something was wrong. He could feel it in the tight, trembling embrace, but he never had enough words to ask. He wanted to heal her pain but had no idea what was causing it. His mind flickered with an image of 069’s smirking face and he felt his rage merging. He imagined vividly wrenching that smirking head from his smug shoulders, but the heated thoughts quickly died as soon as it flared to life. He couldn’t possibly do that…he was too weak.

He looked again at Sallie and wished again, so fruitlessly, that he could help her. 


	17. Steve

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 16: Steve **

“Hey, how about we get some ice-cream later on?”

All at once, Nemesis, Mr X and Sallie turned to Tish, finding that she had spoken a little too loudly, and giggled nervously at the reactions. That question was meant for Nemesis only. Mr X cocked a hairless brow as Sallie blinked, finding the statement a little out of place. Lawrence, on the other hand, perked up at the mention of ice-cream, looking like a kid promised a treat.

They had gathered at the courtyard by the Dormitories when Tish spoke up. By now, the air had become a humid warmth, the skies a blistering white of thick clouds.

“I take it this is a date between you two, huh?” Sallie was the first to speak, suppressing a smirk. She seemed to have slowly began to return to her normal self during the brief walk from the Gym, and Tish just judged that it was the presence of Mr X that had helped her.

Sallie and Mr X turned to Nemesis knowingly, who was a little speechless at such a request.

“Oh! Oh ho ho ho…” Nemesis’s nervous chuckle thinned out the more he thought of it, glancing awkwardly at Mr X and Sallie. “Y-You mean-”

“A date. Yeah, now that you mentioned it.” Tish said confidently, grinning as she saw the glimmer of joy in Sallie’s and Mr X’s eyes. “I’m asking you on an ice-cream date!” Tish knew in her heart that Nemesis liked hanging out with her just as much as she did, of course he would accept it! But… “If, that’s okay with you guys?” She asked suddenly, turning to Mr X and Sallie.

“Don’t be silly, of course it’s okay!” Sallie grinned. “I’m sure me and Mr X can do something.”

“Good, good.” Nemesis grinned, relieved that his brother and Sallie were cool with it. He had a small feeling that Mr X would be a little annoyed at his ignorance of his presence, but it seemed as though Sallie being there had made him settle down. “Besides, it’ll give you two lovebirds some time to be alone!” Nemesis blurted out, watching the cold fire of humiliation began to seethe in Mr X’s eyes, but it was ignored.

Tish flushed a little and tickled Lawrence’s chin, whereupon he immediately started drooling.

“We shall get going after I put Lawrence to bed.” Tish added jokingly, seeing the Licker turn to her suddenly in dismay and squealed back in protest. His motherly human soothed him with more scratches under the chin and behind the neck. “Lawrence, how could you even think I would forget about you? Of course, I’m going to bring you  _all_  the treats!” She assured him, and this immediately brightened the little Licker who resumed his purring and drooling.

Nemesis took a deep breath of relief. Thank fuck for that! He wanted to be alone,  _alone_ , with Tish. No Sallie, nor Mr X, no friggin’ Lawrence! To spend some actual quality time alone with her. He eagerly took Tish’s hand and held it tightly, drawing her closer to him.

“Well, we shall make way whenever you’re ready, m’lady!” Nemesis grinned, and Tish blushed at the sight of his adoring stare and charming smile.

“Just bring her back in one piece please,” Sallie demanded playfully.

“Of course I will! You make me out to be a fucking animal, ha!” Nemesis winked, pointing a finger at Mr X and Sallie. “Now,  _you_  bring my big bro back in one piece! After you flooring 069 onto the ground just then, I’m a little apprehensive in what you’re like!”

Sallie wavered a hand at him, dismissing his statement.

“If Mr X hasn’t done anything wrong, he has nothing to worry about.”

Tish smiled, resting her face into Nemesis’s arm. She had heard that quote so many times, and each time she heard it she realised how raw and true it was. Once it came to Sallie, she would never do harm to anyone unless they caused injustice. Sallie was a very firm believer in justice. Must have got that from her father…

“Remember guys: Don’t be daft, wrap the shaft!” Nemesis howled a boisterous laugh, and Mr X even chuckled lowly at the lewd joke. It was so good to see Nemesis happy. Nemesis and Tish seemed to really click, and it was only a matter of time in his opinion before everyone would get so accustomed to seeing them together that if they were separate, that would be the headline news! Plus, it would give him and Sallie the opportunity to be alone.

“Well, we’ll catch you guys later then.” Sallie replied, giving Tish a proud smile. “I’ll meet you back in our dorm, Tish. Have fun!”

“Will do!” Tish beamed, suddenly frantically excited about the date. She tugged Nemesis by the arm quickly, yanking the Tyrant through the door of the dormitories and was gone.

Mr X and Sallie stared after them, and the T-103 looked down to see Sallie chuckling to herself, shaking her head.

“Gosh, sometimes I wonder if they’re adults or fucking kids.” That comment was playful, and Mr X watched Sallie coolly smile, her previous black mood dismissed now. His chest lifted at the sight of it, though he had to admit, there was something strange about her. He couldn’t place his finger onto it. There was something in her aura…ever since that Saddler incident she had changed. For better or worse, he didn’t know. She seemed to have grown familiar to this new-found strength, as if she had been aware of it all this time, and just ignored it yet again. What a strange human…

Then he realised. Maybe she felt unusual because of ALPHA 069’s  _virus_? Maybe that demonstration of utter strength he witnessed in the gym was all because of that Elite Tyrant’s virus! Perhaps that’s why she felt different now-

But then again, he sensed it  _before_  the Virus transferral, like she had something close to it before-

Sallie spun around to him quickly, her eyes hard with determination. “I wanna go to your dorm. Now!” She urged, knocking Mr X’s thoughts off rail. He wasn’t sure what to do at all. Was she asking for sex right now? Was he even ready for that? Perhaps he was over-thinking this…

That was when a thought struck him.

She wanted to meet Steve.

Reluctantly, he nodded, starting to shuffle his way through the entrance doors with Sallie following him. He wasn’t too sure what would happen when they met. Though he would be lying if he wasn’t frightened by the fact that she could become attached to Steve, considering he was another human. It was foolish, of course…but then again, he was so different from her. He was a Tyrant, a Bio-Organic Weapon of mass destruction, while she was a sweet human, hard exterior, beautiful interior…

_Would she even consider dating me?_

_No. She wouldn’t…_

*

Mr X and Nemesis’s dorm-room was almost the same as Sallie’s and Tish. The lights were on, and the sound of some sort of radio filtered through, but there was no sign of a radio being used. It was coming from  _somewhere_. To Sallie, anyway. Sallie followed Mr X, closing the door behind her.

Mr X summoned his words with difficulty.

“Steve.” He called, his voice able to boom throughout the tiny form with little effort. Sallie waited patiently, gazing around the room. It was surprisingly tidy in comparison with 069’s room, and it didn’t smelt bad. A game console sprawled on the floor; three controllers connected.

From the corner of the room, Sallie noticed the sound of movement, and looked to see a closet. The door rattled slightly, and it slid open, revealing the same human male Sallie had witnessed the other day. His hair a mass of brown, slim and tall. He was simply dressed in a t-shirt that had an abstract pattern of an electric guitar and jeans; white-socked feet peered beneath the baggy hem.

The human, named Steve, perked up swiftly to find another individual in the same room as him, and his eyes widened. He quickly pointed at her in alarm.

“Ah-ha! So,  _you’re_  the human that I saw the other day!”

Sallie pointed back, just as excited.

“Yes! I knew I wasn’t going crazy!”

Mr X watched the humans seemingly reunite in a strange way, as if they had met before after years apart. Steve hurried towards them, looking at Mr X brightly. “Nemesis mentioned you had a girlfriend! A human one!” He piped up happily. “Glad I get to meet her finally!”

Mr X flushed madly, or at least as much as he could blush with his stoic pale face. He smiled a little shyly, glancing at Sallie and noting her humoured smirk. He was uncertain if he should try to say anything to explain, but they both knew what Nemesis was like. She gave him an understanding smile.

_We’re not dating yet…_

He looked back at Steve and chuckled lowly, only to suddenly remember something Steve always seemed to do when Mr X got in from his lessons.

“Tea?” He rumbled to Sallie and Steve, feeling proud of himself for thinking on his feet, taking the initiative. Steve had been instrumental in him learning how to behave in a more human way, and now more than ever he was so glad for those lessons.

Steve and Sallie looked back at the Tyrant.

“Sure thing.” Sallie replied, though she’d prefer coffee. The fact that Mr X offered… “Thank you.”

“Oh? You going to try it yourself?” Steve asked, impressed. “You going to be okay, big guy?”

Mr X nodded and drew himself up confidently. He had watched Steve make beverages many times before. He was certain he could do this. He shuffled over to their tiny kitchen, bending over to get through the small archway and approached the kettle at the corner of the tiny room. From where he stood, he could still hear the conversation taking place behind him.

Steve ushered Sallie to the small couch, the centre concaving down as if a heavy being had been sitting on there for hours. Sallie blamed Nemesis. It was probably him.

Sallie sat on one side, finding her tilting inwards into the dip at the centre, and just accepted it. Steve sat beside her, his eyes huge in amazement. To him, it was so strange to see another human with healthy-looking skin, normal hands and hair!

“S-So tell me, you got enrolled here by mistake?” Steve asked excitingly, taking in whatever information Nemesis had fed him with before.

Sallie shrugged.

“Well, sorta. But we think there is something planned.”

“We?”

“Tish, my friend.”

Steve nodded, rubbing his chin.

“Ah yes, Nemesis’s date, correct?”

Sallie smirked, rolling her eyes.

“I guess so. They might as well be married at this point, ha!”

Mr X grinned to himself. Sallie had a point. Nemesis wouldn’t shut up about Tish since they first met. Then again, Mr X hadn’t stopped thinking about Sallie since, either.

Now, the drinks…

First, he filled the kettle. Steve kept a large bottle of fresh water beside the kettle, and he tipped it into the open lid. So far, so good! He had to lean down to see the tiny button to turn it on and it took a few seconds of patience and ingenuity to press it. He grinned, proud of himself.

_Where are the mugs?_

Mr X went over to the sink and found Steve’s favourite mug and his second favourite mug. They felt so small in his hands; he couldn’t even put his fingers through the handles. He brought them over to the kettle and glanced over his shoulder at the two other humans.

Steve nodded, leaning closer. This was so fascinating, to find another human. She looked so  _normal!_

“I heard about the 069 incident too…him just being…well, 069.” He placed a hand on Sallie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. He’s the University’s dick.”

“It’s okay. I can deal with him.”

“He really likes you!” Steve piped up suddenly, watching Sallie’s eyes harden in question. He answered. “I’ve heard him a few times, having a go at 071.” He watched her expression darken, and he hesitated for a time, unsure if he was okay to continue.

“071 is a sweetheart.” Sallie replied eventually; her voice dark. “Did ALPHA ever lay a finger on him? Do you know?” Sallie didn’t like the concept of 071 sharing the same room as a bastard like 069. She knew for sure that if she ever found 071 with bruises that inevitably made her assume who caused them, she would humiliate 069 again…somehow…

Still, she didn’t quite understand how she managed to get 069 onto the floor so…

Steve’s eyes fell.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you. But I heard 069 getting angry last night about…the girls?” He glanced back at her. “I’m guessing it was you who caught Saddler’s attention?”

Mr X had to tip out all the tea bags out of the canister so he could select two to place in the mugs. He was just sweeping them back into the canister when he heard Saddler’s name mentioned.

_Forgot about him._

He hated to think that creature was still wandering around free of punishment even after injuring Sallie. It made his blood boil just thinking about it.

The kettle clicked, ready, and Mr X reached for it and hesitated. He gently reached out and pinched the handle of the kettle, carefully picking it up and dispensing water into both mugs. He splashed hot water over the counter.

“It was stupid, really.” He heard Sallie reply, smiling faintly at the sound of her voice, and soothed the storm brewing in his chest. “But I guess that taught me and Tish the definition of ‘Curfew’.” Sallie chuckled, reclining back into the seat, relaxing at last. “I was trying to find you.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. I was hiding.” Steve admitted, bowing his head. “I was afraid in case Saddler and Salazar found me. I’d be dead.”

“I get it.” Sallie gave him an understanding smile. But it promptly dropped. “You’re not supposed to be here, I gathered?”

“No. Wesker knows I’m lingering around, but he doesn’t know where.”

“Any reason  _why_  you’re hiding?”

Steve hesitated for a moment, stirring uncomfortably in his seat.

 _It’s okay…_  Sallie thought, her eyes imploring for answers.  _I’m hiding too…_

“I was part of the Wesker program.” Steve began, sighing deeply at the traumatic memory. “But I was a failed member. I was supposed to be dead.”

_Yeah, me too…_

“Wesker hates me,” Steve continued, folding his arms across his chest. “He wanted me dead, so I fled. But…I had nowhere else to go.” He nodded his head towards Mr X, watching him staring intensely at the mugs. “It was Nemesis and Mr X who found me, and…” He chuckled softly at the memory. “I can tell you something, meeting someone like Mr X in the library. Fucking scary introductions!”

Sallie and Steve laughed, finding the image itself amusing.

“I’m not surprised!” Sallie grinned. “Mr X is gorgeous to look at, but fucking Nemesis! Have you  _seen_  that face?!” They shared another hearty laugh.

Mr X chuckled fondly, a deep rumbling sound. It was true. Steve had all but shit himself when they first met. Such a funny thought now, looking back on it.

He stirred the tea, watching the water darken to a good colour. Then it was time to get the milk. He bent down to the mini fridge to get the milk. Mr X had to push Nemesis’s tube of lube out of the way, but he managed to reach the tiny bottle of milk. He liked watching the tea swirl with the milk. It was strangely soothing. Carefully, he stirred, knowing his strength could shatter the porcelain. Mr X had broken many mugs before, mostly by accident. Promptly, he reminded himself to replace the milk back into the mini fridge, knowing how annoyed Steve was to see it left out.

He was  _learning_.

He gently picked up both teas, feeling the heat searing his skin, but it didn’t bother him that much. He knew he’d be fine. All Tyrants were conditioned to have a higher pain threshold, anyway. He turned and brought the mugs in carefully, offering them to his friends.

“And, well, Nemesis thought it’d be amusing to keep me ‘as a pet’.” Steve continued; his hands madly animated. “And Mr X agreed!” He shot a playful glare at Mr X, but chuckled again, eagerly reached for his cup of tea. “I’m proud of you, big guy! You did well!”

Sallie took the mug from him, watching the proud glimmer in his eyes. He was so satisfied of himself that he’d managed to do it all unsupervised.

“This looks amazing, thank you, Mr X.” Sallie smiled, feeling her hand brushing across his own fingers, tenderly.

“Well trained, huh?” Steve grinned cheekily. “Not everyone can get a Tyrant to make you a cup of tea!”

“You don’t know what I am capable of, yet.” Sallie smirked darkly, taking a content sip from her tea. She glanced at Mr X beside her. “You’d make a great husband.”

“He’s toilet-trained, too!” Steve blurted out in jest, bracing for Mr X’s ‘gentle’ punches, which often consisted of him launching the human across the room.

Mr X glared down darkly at Steve but decided against trying to throw him out of the window. He wanted Sallie to  _like_  him, not think of him as a psychopath. Instead, he slumped into his little armchair and practically pouted about his bruised ego.

Why did everyone had to tease him in front of Sallie?

Though he was willing to forgive Steve a lot quicker than Nemesis.

Sallie took note of Mr X’s sulking. It was rather adorable, watching a seven-foot beast of a man sulk in a small armchair, which could be mistake for a beanbag due to his staggering size. But something was bothering Sallie. Severely. She needed to talk to Mr X about the situation with her and 069 before it got out of hand.

_I can’t just shoo Steve out now!_

She’ll figure something out, somehow…

“As much as you and Nemmy tease Mr X, he’s a wonderful Tyrant.” Her dark blue gaze held onto Mr X, who seemed to be mulling over his sulks. “He’s my favourite.”

Mr X looked at Sallie quickly, and then glared away; his cheeks tinted slightly.

“You fancy him. I get it.” Steve grinned, and Sallie laughed at such a claim, a little too loudly, but it didn’t stop the redness from creeping onto her face.

“Better than dating a human!” That comment came across too cynical, and Steve found the bitterness a surprise.

“Why is that?”

Sallie paused; her brows furrowed at the memories she tried to suppress. Again, now wasn’t the time for it.

“Humans are stupid. I hate them.” She was astounded to find Steve nodding.

“Yeah, I agree. We are stupid!” He chuckled, taking another sip of his cup. Sallie studied Steve for a time. He seemed rather comfortable living in the presence of two monstrous Tyrants. But then again, Sallie and Tish were comfortable next to them too, touching their arms, talking to them, looking at them…

_I need to talk to him-!_

“Hey, Steve!”

Steve looked up from his mug.

“Hm?”

“Forgive me for the abrupt demand, but could I have a private word with Mr X please?” She shook her hand at him. “It’s nothing against you. Just-”

“It’s okay.” Steve smiled, understandingly. “I get it. Is everything okay, at least?”

“Kinda…”

Mr X and Steve gave her a concerned look, and she sighed deeply, placing a cup onto the side and stood up. “It’s pretty urgent, but I need to consult with Mr X about it first. Military secret.”

Mr X was, by now, accustomed to when Sallie was planning something, and this time he wasn’t sure if this plan was going to get her into more trouble. Surely, she wasn’t about to try and upend the entire university? She wasn’t going after Wesker, surely?

He worried after her, despite witnessing her destroying 069’s ego in front of everyone merely an hour ago. He couldn’t help it, though. He’d never felt this way before. To want to just hold her and never let her out of his sight.

But you can’t trap someone like that. It’s only good if someone is free to love you and they do without conditions.

Maybe he’d been reading a few too many romantic stories… not that he’d ever admit that to his friends.

“It’s fine.” Steve stood up, already making his way to the closet at the corner of the room. “Just be safe, okay kids?” He smirked, turning to Mr X and gave him a wink. “Nemmy’s condoms are in the drawers.” And the man fled away, laughing madly, as he hurried into his closet-like bedroom, sliding the door closed.

Mr X smiled at that; Steve was so sure of their feelings for each other, it was rather scary at times. As if Mr X even  _knew_  what to do with a woman!

He turned to Sallie, adoring her and so happy she was there with him. She smiled back, her shoulders dropping.

“Mr X, I need to talk to you about something.” She finally said, her voice now small. She approached him, searching for her words. “Before the basketball practice, something happened.” Mr X watched her intensely, listening to her. He could feel the sorrow building in her voice, and already he grabbed her hips and pulled her down to his level, sitting her on his lap and held her close, his face pushed into her neck. That small gesture comforted Sallie quickly, and she held Mr X into a firm hug, burying her face into the leather lapels of his overcoat. “I bumped into 069.”

The name struck through the Tyrant like a dagger, and he slowly looked at Sallie, his eyes hard. The name had brought back many angry thoughts, and he waited patiently for Sallie to continue. She opened her mouth to speak, but an ear-splitting sound broke through the whole dorm. Mr X and Sallie leapt up to find the door flying inwards, a shockwave scattered across the dorm as the door shattered down from its frame into a shower of splinters, and behind it loomed the lethal impending figure of the alpha Elite Tyrant himself. A guttural roar rumbled through the dorm, and 069 was already stalking into the room, his expression of unspeakable resentment. His hand slapped against the wall, emitting a sharp clash of metal and concrete together, assaulting their ears all around.

“ **SHE’S MINE!** ” He growled, his voice several octaves lower, his muscles bulging and ready to fight.

“Mr X, don’t-!” Sallie cried out, reaching over to try and stop the Tyrant from approaching 069, already burning to fight the Elite himself. But 069 reacted faster, sharply lunging forward and swept Mr X up by the throat.

“Who do you even think you are?! She belongs to  _me!_  She has  _my_  Virus coursing through her veins!” 069 bellowed, slamming Mr X down onto the floor. The next instant he placed his enormous boot onto Mr X’s throat and pressed mercilessly down. Mr X immediately grabbed onto the Elite Tyrant’s boot, struggling to push the immense pressure back into 069. “I should do everyone a favour and end you right now!” 069 roared, but slowly, his eyes slid to Sallie, who was staring back at him with that sensual, fiery hatred. “Unless you want to save his life?”

“Get the fuck off him, ALPHA!” Sallie shouted, feeling her own rage mounting inside of her, riled up as her blood became excruciatingly hot, adrenaline surging. There was that feeling again. “Fucking leave him alone or I shall end you  _instead_!” She was aggressive within an instant, rushing towards 069’s boot and gripped onto the heel of it, attempting to lift it off with Mr X. It barely shifted, and she felt her strength ebbing away quicker than she could muster.

_What the fuck is going on with me?_

She screamed against the boot, trying so hard to save Mr X. From above, 069 laughed cruelly at her pitiful heroic display. “You don’t fucking own me!” Sallie snapped; her eyes full of iron determination.

Without hesitation, 069 reached down and snatched her up by the waist, his hands clenching around her abdomen so hard she felt her ribs crushing by the pressure.

“OF COURSE I OWN YOU!” 069 thundered, throwing her across the room into the couch, caring little if she was injured. The force threw the couch backwards against the hurling woman, knocking it over. “You might have gotten the better of me before, but now I have the upper hand!” He glared back down at Mr X, hostility seething in his eyes, pressing his foot harder onto Mr X’s throat, who coughed and squirmed under the weight. “We’re going to make a new deal. And your beloved here is in on it too!” 069 grilled through clenched teeth, his voice softer yet still held a dark, deadly tone. “You’re still going to date me. And T-00 here?” 069 leaned down to Mr X, his malicious smirk leering into his face. “Is going to let it happen, or I’m going to make him regret it.” Looking back, he watched the woman stagger back onto her feet, her eyes threatening him incoming rage. He smirked, feeling it coming from her. He wanted her to use it against him again, he  _needed_  it. “Also, you can forget about telling your other pals. You tell them, you’ll both be very sorry.”

Sallie tried to control her anger. The vindictiveness in 069’s eyes were triggering that same bloodlust she felt towards Saddler. But Mr X squirmed beneath his boot, making her aware that more was at stake. Her body was in a blistering-hot rage, hardly feeling the pain but knew it would come back to get her. She decided to do the best she could, being very careful.

“069 had blackmailed me into dating him! That’s what I wanted to tell you!” Sallie cried out to Mr X, clearing any doubt in his mind. “I agreed to protect you. But it looked like-!”

_You failed…_

“I’m gonna fucking  _break you_ , ALPHA!” Sallie shrieked suddenly, shaking terribly now, feeling every pore in her body sweat with hatred. “Fucking release Mr X and you can have me! So fucking help me god, I’m gonna fucking make you cry!”

To their surprise, 069 stepped away from Mr X, who immediately got to his feet, coughing for air and about to lunge at 069. But he backed down. He had to. There was nothing he could do about this right now. 069 was far too well connected and strong at this time. If he wanted to think he owned Sallie, then he could continue to think so. But Mr X knew Sallie well, he knew she would not lie down and let this happen. They would make a plan to overthrow him.

Reluctantly, Mr X backed away, knowing the mocking would be merciless, but also knowing he would have the last laugh.

At that point, watching the smaller Tyrant obeying, 069 laughed in triumph.

“Good, so you agree.” 069 said casually at Mr X, turning his attention back onto Sallie. “You’ve got a thing for weaklings, don’t you? Is that why you still hang out with that little wretch and her pet Licker?” He taunted Sallie, adoring every moment of her rage. Seeing every shred of sanity leaving her, that pure, unadulterated animal lust for pain.

_Hurt me! I’m begging you!_

Sallie stared at 069 mutely, her expression a painted masterpiece of loathing and hurt.

_Break him! Fucking BREAK HIM!_

“I can’t…” Sallie said in the smallest voice, talking to herself, as if to calm her escalating wrath.

_You’ve fought Tyrants before! This is what you were made for! Hurt him!_

Something told her that she shouldn’t…

When Sallie said nothing, 069 continued. “So, it is agreed? I was worried I might need to teach Trenchy a lesson.” 069 abruptly stopped, noticing the two mugs of tea on the little table beside the fallen couch. Something seemed off about that. Sallie didn’t even like it and he had never seen Mr X drink anything, let alone tea…

Sallie watched his line of sight and noticed what he saw with a severe chill.

The Elite Tyrant’s brows darkened, glaring around suspiciously.

“Who else is here?” 069 growled lowly, scanning his surroundings.

A low, animal snarl left Sallie, feeling herself getting uncontrollably hot now. She stormed towards 069, her hands reaching up and pushing hard into him, forcing him to stagger back into the corridor, shoving him towards the direction of his room, away from Steve. Away from  _Mr X!_

“Get fucking back, now! Or I’ll make you bleed!” Sallie screeched, using her whole body to force the Elite Tyrant to stumble back. She wasn’t strong enough to push him backwards completely, but to make 069 stagger slightly was good enough. “Back down! Now! Back into your fucking dorm!”

Mr X watched as 069 grinned, feeling her pushing him back. He forgotten all about his suspicious and instead paid attention to his libido.

“Okay, little kitten, if you’re so eager to get to know me!” he boomed another laugh, allowing her to continue to force him backwards. He fumbled at the door-handle to open his dorm-room door and all but staggered into it.

Sallie glanced over her shoulder at Mr X, the fury diminished for a moment, her eyes begging for his forgiveness. But the fragile and beautiful gaze shattered quickly when 069 chuckled, and she turned back to the Elite Tyrant, forcefully moving him back into his dorm. 069 slammed the door behind Sallie, his laughing could be heard from the other side.

And then, nothing.

Once the room was silent, Steve peered through the small cracks of his closet door.

“Is…is he gone?”

Mr X nodded, eyeing the door on the floor in fury. He sighed angrily and then went into the dorm to grab his tools. He’d been learning how to fix things from Steve and was preparing to fix the door.

Steve watched Mr X for a time, taking into consideration what had happened. In the midst of the horrors between Sallie, Mr X and 069, Steve witnessed the scene from his closet. And now he was feeling a strange vibe of ferocity coming from Mr X, an eccentric daunting sensation that just radiated violence.

It left Steve troubled…


	18. Mistress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Chapter gets a little mature, but doesn't get too lewd. Just hints.

#  ** UMBRELLA UNIVERSITY **

##  ** Chapter 17: Mistress **

Everything was silent. 069 smirked to find himself alone with the furious small woman. 071 was out.

_Thank fuck, I can’t deal with his shit._

Mustering the rest of her energy, Sallie forcefully pushed 069 onto the floor, and the Tyrant allowed her to do so, dropping himself onto the carpet willingly and watched in anticipated cruel eagerness. He watched Sallie, seeing her standing at the end of his feet, her eyes a misty fire of hatred. Already, his heart was absolutely pounding. He could feel it coming up! She was going to make all his dreams come true, finally!

“One day you’ll fucking regret this! I fucking swear!” Sallie snapped, a punishing remark intercepting her fury.

_Little kitten…_

069’s grin faltered when she stalked off towards the small kitchen, furious but distant. A surge of panic surfaced within him.

_No…no. No!_

“What’s the matter, little kitten?” 069 sniggered, forcing a lewd smirk as he sat up, turning to face her back. “Cold feet? Not ready to go all the way yet?” He taunted her, wanting her to do it. To punish him. He deserved to feel all her rage. He’d  _earned_  it!

“Don’t call me little kitten!” Sallie demanded sharply, furious to find that word lurking around her again. She folded her arms and glaring judgmentally at the crumples of newspaper and magazines that sprawled on the counters. She shut her eyes tightly.

_I am NOT weak!_

Her fingers dug into her arms harder, trying to suppress the urge in hurting the Elite Tyrant.

_He’s not worth it…_

She knew she wouldn’t have a chance against him, but the rage was becoming uncontrollable again, a white-hot blur of nothingness, to feel invincible…she wanted to feel it again, but the fear of losing control…

A bead of sweat ran down the side of 069’s pale skull, his breathing becoming a little raggedy now.

“What are you going to do about it?” 069 teased, shuffling closer to her on his knees. Then he leaned a little closer to her. “Little kitten?” He saw her shoulders tighten, but nothing more. He knew he was playing with fire here; she’d demonstrated very real strength before, and he was certain if he provoked her enough, she might go full Tyrant. And that very notion suddenly became so consuming in his mind. If she was a Tyrant like himself…the power of her would be tripled at least!

His arms shook hard. He was losing it now; so desperate for her painful touch, hungry for her to hurt him bad. “Why don’t you make me stop? Huh?”

_Because I’m not a monster! I’m a human! A FUCKING HU-!_

“ _HnnnRAAAAAGGHHH!!_ ” An unearthly battle-cry came from the small woman, and 069 genuinely had no time to react or defend himself when Sallie lunged at him like a wild animal. Raw hatred blinded her consciousness, feeling every ounce of control fade from her grasp, and nothing but utter killing instinct consumed her. Her impact with the Elite Tyrant threw him onto his back, forcing him onto the floor and already a mad flurry of punches rained down onto his face. 069 felt every strike rattle his skull, yielding against her attacks.

Bone-on-bone clashed into his sharp, angled jaw. The force behind the punches were much stronger than she had expected. All shred of sanity had abandoned her, leaving nothing to hold her back from her frantic attacks.

No one was here. No one was here to witness her becoming a monster! No one was here to judge her except this fucking BOW! Only 069 deserved every single inkling of harm she inflicted on him!

Sallie scrambled against his chest to his face, her boots digging and kicking maliciously, feeling the brute force of her hysterical outbreaks of punches against his body and face. Sometimes she had even missed his face narrowly, losing concertation to the temptation of wrath, her knuckles pulverising to the floor around his head. But she ignored the misses.

Sallie gripped onto 069’s head, squeezing hard, and pain blossomed throughout his skull. Her hands a tiny vice against his temples, yanking his face close against her. She wanted to bite and tear his flesh off his skull like thin cotton-

Upon close inspection, her eyes had changed colour slightly. A white ring around her pupil was evident, leaking into the blue ocean of her iris as if ink staining tissue paper.

And he  _loved_  it!

“ **I WILL END YOU!** ”

“That all you got?” 069 slurred, breathless.

Already, he felt the hardness growing between his thighs, constricted against the leathery pants; having no conscious effort to try and control his impulses. His hand snatched at his erection and squeezed, amplifying more agony through his system, a fresh sting of arousal. He leaned into her assault, begging for more and demanding her to deliver. “ _MORE!_ ”

His words meant nothing to her. His lips moved, saying something, but Sallie didn’t understand. It was all a blur, and she was steamrolling into this surge of brutality so quickly she had no time to register anything that was going on. Her utmost primary function was to destroy 069.

That horrible glee in his eyes kept bringing her back to the reason why she hated. Hated everything so much!

Another battle-scream filled the room, forcefully throwing his skull into the floor as if to knock him out. It didn’t. She needed something much lethal. She needed to be more vicious-!

**_He hurt Mr X!_ **

Her jaw ached, her teeth bearing as her gaze fell to his neck-

**_Jugular!_ **

“ **BASTARD!** ” She squealed, a terrible sound of fresh revulsion and sorrow as she honed her open mouth down to his neck, gritting her teeth onto anywhere-

She didn’t care!

**_Just inflict fucking pain! Attack to KILL!_ **

She bit down onto his neck hard, a horrific scream muffled through her clenched teeth as she pulled, her jaw tightening.

069 screamed like a wounded animal, but it was not from pain. He felt her hand reaching for his cheek, her nails digging into his flesh and began to drag down. They were not sharp nails, but she applied enough pressure to emit dark lines of crimson flesh in its wake. He could feel every inch of aching she imposed, unable to think of anything else but the growing pressure in his crotch. His hips bucked instinctively.

_YES! MORE! MORE!_

He didn’t fight back at all. In fact, he pressed closer to her attacks, relishing the assault and squealing like a boar in a trap. Like a strange response, Sallie screamed back at 069, like an unknown animal language only the two understood. But they clashed sharply. She was of fury, his on the other hand…

“ _Pathetic!_ ” He taunted again, his hands reaching for her back urgently and pulled her closer against him, encouraging her to keep on the assaults. He was desperate now; so fucking close to finally experiencing the release he’d been begging for.

Through the hot haze of rage, Sallie noticed him smiling, edging closer to her attacks. Even when she had pulled away and noticed the deep-crimson bite mark in the base of his neck, blackish blood being drawn. He was still  _smirking_!

**_BASTARD IS LAUGHING AT YOU!_ **

Sallie saw red at that subtle thought. He was mocking her again, laughing at her pathetic excuse of her attacks, despite the bruises and blood rolling down his face, he was  _still_ laughing at her! She shrieked back at him again, infuriated with his smirks and laughs and taunts. She’s trying  _so_  hard and he was not bothered by it.

_He is a male BOW. HE’S A MALE!_

Sallie’s eyes shot at his crotch, her mind roaming to dirty and low methods in making this monster scream and cry. She scrambled off his face and out of his hungry arms, hurrying down to his groin, knowing it to be the weakest part of any male. Human or BOW. Her jaw tightened, feeling the urge to bite again.

_BITE! BITE! BITE!_

She bowed down to his crotch, her hands snatching at the leathery tail-ends of his uniform, her palm roughly brushing against-!

_…wait…_

That was when, finally, a conscious thought came to mind, halting the overflow of her fury as a thought became crystal-clear to her.

_Why is he hard? He’s not supposed to be hard! He’s supposed to be soft, and weak!_

_An erection equals pleasure and enjoyment…_

Her body seized in a cool hold of understanding as she gripped onto it, and her theory was confirmed to feel his erection, and the Tyrant groaning.

“Bite me! Fucking bite me, please!” He begged directly, his eyes closing tightly. He was about to release any second.

_He wasn’t smiling AT you…_

At last, the flurries of violence ceased, softening the edges of her animal behaviour and bringing her back into control.

The woman stopped.

069’s eyes snapped open.

_WHY HAS SHE STOPPED?!_

He looked at her again and saw her hesitating, staring at his groin, and he comprehended she had figured it out. She knew what he was doing all this time and that’s why she stopped!

Ice suddenly clawed through his veins. Her wrath was something he craved. But her mockery?!

“W-What are you going? You’re supposed to be fighting me!”

Sallie ignored his pleas. Just for a moment, her mind finally reeled her back into reality, recalling everything she had done, and what she had discovered. She was violent to him, and this was her result?! A fucking erection!

It finally occurred to her then that 069 got aroused by pain. Her utter wrath was something he was desperate for. No wonder why he antagonised her all the time. He got fucking hard for it!

Now, a part of her thought she should confront him about it, telling him how gross it was and probably be a cruel mistress by exploiting it to the whole building…

_No. Find your enemy’s weakness. AND USE IT._

The military had taught her that one. And so, with a vindictive grin stretching across her face, she stood up on his stomach, taking a deep sigh. She had to admit, she was feeling much better now, in a weird way. A sense of relief.

“That’s enough…” She commanded, giving the erection beneath his pants a quick swipe with her hand, hearing a surprised yelp from 069. “That’s enough punishment for you, ALPHA.” Her tone had changed. Authoritative. Controlled. Sergeant Major Knight was back, and this time she knew what to do. The thought of using such a discovery as leverage was almost exciting for her. To use a fucking  _kink!_

069 shook his head frantically, his eyes widen in mounting panic.

“W-What do you mean? We were fighting, it wasn’t like that!” He was pleading now, begging to put the cat back in the bag. But it was far too late. She had figured it out.

_How could I be so stupid? Of course, she’d figure it out!_

“Maybe we can make a deal?” He offered quickly. “I-I could let you see Mr X on the weekends, maybe?”

“You’re the fucking devil with all of these deals, huh?” Sallie murmured, unimpressed. She hopped off his body, walking away from him with her arms folded. Inside, a horrible smirk was forming, and she couldn’t stop it! Something about this situation was so genuinely  _perfect_. Perhaps this can work out much better than planned…

_Maybe a bit of fun would be good…_

She spun around on her heels suddenly, looking at the Elite Tyrant. 069 watched her as she pointed at the floor before her.

“On your knees before me. Now!”

069 hesitated. He looked at her sombre expression and slowly realised she was being serious. He was desperate for her silence. And so, slowly but surely, he crawled forward. On his knees he bowed before her, starting to tremble in anticipation.

“C-Come on, let’s not be too hasty here!” He implored.

_She was just a chick, right? They were all so emotional and kind underneath right? Right?!_

“Good boy…” He heard Sallie above him, her voice automatically lewd.

“Please, can we just talk this out?!

“Not yet.” Sallie shot back calmly, finding herself back in the comfortable position of utter power against an enemy. She didn’t understand. Maybe-

She bent down, snatching his chin and forcing him to look at her straight in the eyes, her severe expression reflecting in the whiteness of his eyes. “Now listen here. You let me see Mr X without any problems. I don’t wanna see you moan, or whine, or rage over it. Understand?” She gestured her other hand on her chest. “If my boy behaves, I may be sweet enough to just give him sweet, sweet release…” She sneered, her eyes suggesting exactly what he’s assuming. “Now…” She pushed his chin away dismissively. “I want you to say sorry to me. And  _mean_  it. I want you to  _beg_  for your Captain’s mercy!” That thrill was returning, her military voice giving her strength back.

069 hated the idea of debasing himself like this. But he needed to. He couldn’t lose the power he had over the other Tyrants. He just couldn’t!

“I’m sorry…” He began to blubber, not knowing a single thing he should say. “I’m sorry. P-Please forgive me, Captain.” He didn’t like her having this sort of power over him. It was humiliating. He liked it when it was on his terms, and not hers. He gazed at her, hoping she’d accept this and let him go. He wanted to hide away from her and try to figure out how to get out of this mess.

Sallie stared down at him unsympathetically.

_Common praises won’t be enough. Discipline is what gets this bastard hard. Just think backwards, Sallie. BACKWARDS. Misbehaviour will leave him deprived of your fury._

With that thought, Sallie leaned down and grabbed his chin again. For her amusement, she left him hanging for a bit, her eyes reading over his expression, trying to find any deceit. She studied him wondering what she was thinking, bracing himself for her acceptance. And, eventually…

“Good boy.” She softly said, promptly releasing his chin and slapping his face hard. That was his reward. She found herself being a little eager, and she snatched his ear, yanking him down to her again, hearing a babble of a suppressed groan from the Elite Tyrant. 069 stared as she leaned close, so close that she could kiss him-

She held him there, waiting for his response to her next statement. “Now. I want a date.”

_This should be interesting._

069 stared at her for a long moment. Did he hear that right?

“You want…a date?” He breathed, completely mystified now. What the everlasting fuck was going on? Surely, she wasn’t only asking this just to ruin him.

Sallie smirked at his reaction. He wasn’t expecting that. Brilliant!

069 decided it was best to play along, and so he nodded. “A date…I can do that. Where do you want to go?” The woman pulled his face closer, and he spied a dirty smirk on her blushed face.

“Surprise me, ALPHA. You should get an herb before we leave…” She ran her tongue along the side of his cheek, tasting the fresh smears of blood and sweat off his flesh, genuinely enjoying the saltiness of it. “You wouldn’t want  _anyone_  to find out where you got those bruises from, right?” She could feel the Elite Tyrant shuddering in her grip.

_Hmm…so this is what Nemesis meant by using my ‘womanly charms’…_

This was much easier than Sallie realised. Of course, sex sold everything. Even  _obedience!_

Frantically, 069 nodded.

“O-Okay. I can do that!” He said eagerly, wanting to please her more than ever now. If he did as he was told, maybe he could still come out of this with his reputation intact! He climbed onto his feet, going over to the fridge and opened it to find in dismay that there was nothing inside, but a half-empty  _Monster_  can.

_SHIT!_

069’s hesitation told Sallie he was struggling to find an herb. She smirked cynically to herself, feeling his panic. There was that power lust again, intensifying inside. Mere soldier humans didn’t give her this same jab of hunger inside. This was certainly intriguing. She wondered how far she could take this. She tilted her head in mock-concern.

“Everything okay, ALPHA?”

Her voice floated from behind him, impish almost. She knew exactly what was wrong. She watched the Elite Tyrant slamming the fridge door closed, turning around with furious panic in his eyes.

“Did you take it?!” He demanded hotly, storming towards her. “You want me to look like this in front of everyone?” This was getting ridiculous! She was just toying with him now! “Stop playing!”

“I did not.” Sallie said firmly, not cowering under his shadow anymore. “Perhaps poor 071 took it when you strangled him.” Her voice became harsh, infused with the sullen anger that still burnt an ember in her chest. She cocked a brow, miming thinking. “I know where one is…” She beckoned her finger at him to follow her, opening the door to his dorm. Mr X was there, still attempting to fix the door 069 had destroyed mere moments ago. The Tyrant stalled when he turned to see the Elite lumbering behind Sallie, mutely confused to see blood and bruises on 069’s features, blood running down his neck.

Sallie pointed at Mr X, who stared back at her.

“If you say sorry to Mr X, perhaps he would be kind enough to give you an herb.” Her eyes turned to Mr X, and despite having a harsh gaze, it told him something:  _Trust me._

069 pulled a face, like a child being asked to take out the trash.

“But…he won’t…” He started to protest, but her firm gaze was unwavering. He had been wrong about females having nothing but compassion. The Elite Tyrant glanced at the destruction he had caused and hated the idea of having to apologise for any of it. And Mr X hardly deserved it, the weakling!

“Okay...” He drew out the syllable in irritation and began to walk towards Mr X.

Is this how villains felt? Strangely, Sallie felt as though she comprehended the benefits and the emotions 069 gained when he tormented those who refused to tangle with him. This wasn’t how Sallie pictured herself saving people, but if it worked….

“Do it…Or I won’t hurt you again, ALPHA.” Came the low threat. “I want to hurt you so badly. But I can’t if you don’t behave…” Stoking the fires, she knew this was dangerous play, and hated how she was enjoying making this mess. This utter power was thirsty to be quenched! Maybe this was a side-effect from 069’s Virus?

Mr X glared at 069, but then noticed how Sallie was looking at him. She was  _loving_  this…what happened? When 069 moved, Sallie stood by the doorway. “Mr X.” She called out, catching her best friend’s attention. She nodded her head at 069. “ALPHA would like to say something…”

Mr X saw the look of caged fury on 069’s face and slowly a devilish grin spread across his face. He was going to enjoy every second of this.

069 gritted his teeth, and then hissed.

“I’m sorry about the damage to the door.” He ground out. “If you would be so kind…I need an herb to heal my injuries.”

Mr X noticed how ravaged he looked and knew Sallie had gotten the better of him. He considered refusing, but trusted Sallie knew what she was doing. Almost reluctantly, he left their sight to go over to the fridge and found the green herb. He took it out and returned to 069. He held it at arm’s length.

069’s lip twitched angrily and reached for it. As he came within an inch of claiming the herb, Mr X snatched it away and then chuckled evilly. 069’s fury peaked and turned to Sallie, pointing accusingly at Mr X. “The fuck?” He growled.

He gained no support from Sallie. She only cocked a brow warningly at him, and that seemed to calm the Elite Tyrant. Mr X held out the herb again, waggling it invitingly as 069 turned back. 069’s entire expression was like a thundercloud, frantically reaching out and snatched the herb, cramming it into his mouth angrily.

“Good boy.” Sallie replied. “Now get dressed. I want you to look at least presentable. I will not be seen public with a  _monster_.” She emphasised that word, adding with a cruel smirk. “I’m a lady.” The fire still flared in her eyes, the stare of a controlling master. It was working. How… _amazing_!

069’s jaw clenched painfully, but he obeyed. He was being promised what he desired, and she would give it to him. She  _promised!_

“Fine.” He growled unwillingly, returning to his room.

Mr X watched questioningly at Sallie and 069. He trusted that she knew what she was doing, but still…he couldn’t help but be jealous of what she was doing with 069. 069 seemed to be under her control.

Once the Elite Tyrant was out of sight, Mr X spoke.

“You ok?” He asked softly, daring not to move too close; he was so baffled about the whole situation. He was desperate for an explanation but didn’t wish to put pressure on her.

Almost immediately, the harshness in Sallie’s features left, and she rushed towards Mr X, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, holding him dearly close.

“I’m okay. Are you?” She pulled her head away to study his neck, not breaking the hug. “Is your neck okay? Please tell me you’re okay.” Her voice was soft yet urgent, her concern for his health from 069’s assault more persistent. She traced a finger down his throat gingerly.

A bright smile bloomed on Mr X’s face and nodded, indicating his neck and that he was fine.

“Tougher than him.” He said with a grin. He leaned down closer to her, so eager to know what she had to tell him. He couldn’t look away from her blue eyes, how full of affection they were.

“Thank fuck…” She whispered, almost tearfully, pressing her forehead onto his forehead for a time, closing her eyes hard. “I was so worried…” When her eyes opened again, they were full of determination. “Listen to me carefully, sweetheart…I think I’ve found a way of control 069 and taming him from being violent. I don’t want him to hurt you, or anyone. And in order to do that, I must play his game.” Spying the growing horror, she shook her head. “Not sex. No, no, no. I couldn’t! But…” She leaned closer, pulling him into a tighter hug and dropped her voice to a small whisper. “069 seemed to like it when I actually hurt him…so I’m using this to stop him from causing any trouble. You  _must_  trust me on this. Whatever I do to him has  _nothing_  to do with feelings for him. It’s merely a weapon.” She gauged his reaction closely, praying that the Tyrant would not judge her for her dirty methods. He was listening patiently. “I-I don’t understand why or how this happened… but I pray it helps us somehow. I think…” She touched her shoulder, emphasising her assumption to be caused by the Virus transferal. That  _must_  be it! She never felt such strength before, such raw wrath in her life.

Mr X noted the sincerity and sorrow in her tone, shadowed by that steely determination he was so charmed by, and he reluctantly understood what needed to be done, to keep 069 in check. If she’d found a way to do it then…

But he still worried about her.

“Understand.” He said softly, a meek smile following. His arms held her tighter and pulled her close, wishing only to hold her for a moment, letting her know that he was there for her when she needed him.

“I’m sorry…” Sallie whispered, already sensing his reluctance.  “I…I can’t stand the idea of him hurting you like that again.” Her arms held his skull and she pulled his face down to her chest, hugging him desperately. “I don’t want him to hurt anyone anymore.”

Mr X hated how that sounded and wanted to protest. But he just didn’t have the words. He heard the approaching footsteps of 069 returning and with great pain he gently pushed Sallie away from him. He gave her a look that he hoped told her that he understood and wanted to keep her safe too, in his way. The small woman understood his expression completely, heartbroken to have been forced to break the hug. She gave Mr X one last glance of affection, before she rapidly turned stony cold and turned to see the Elite Tyrant stomping back to her. His wounds were healing already, and he was dressed in some sensible slacks and a buttoned-up shirt.

“Good enough?” He demanded at Sallie petulantly, like a child asked by their mother to dress nice for grandma.

“You look beautiful, Princess.” Sallie sneered, facing Mr X. “We shall make our merry way. I shall speak to you later.” She flashed 069 a harsh smile to remind him who he was dealing with. Then quickly, she changed into a sweet, docile woman, the human she had been acting before this Virus. “Now, come on. Lead the way!”


End file.
